


The Games is Called Death

by FrostedGemstones22



Category: Suite Life on Deck
Genre: F/M, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 09:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 58,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostedGemstones22/pseuds/FrostedGemstones22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As senior year approaches, a playful game of Assassin is announced as a last hurrah. The seniors are going to give it their all...even their life. When people start ending up dead, Zack Martin becomes a key player in this deadly battle to figure out who did it before everyone he loves is dead. And the worst thing is karma is a little bit of a bitch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

It started with the announcement. Of the game; that is. The excitement that filled the air was unmatched to anything every before on the ship. Not prom, or spring break, or the prospect of graduation. Okay, so maybe graduation but they were defiantly a close tie. If anything.

It was the last time for fun, before everyone would have to hunker down and study for finals. The final final some would take, Cody often joked. Zach would glare at him pointedly, but made no comment to contradict. They all knew it was true.

It would last until the end of the year, a whole three months. Weekends included, which made it at whole lot easier but yet harder at the same time. For some, this was a chance to win, and others to fail miserably. Either way, though, people could barely sit through the dull, dry lesson about the Crusades- not when they had such important things to deal with. Miss Tutweiler caught at least seven notes in her classroom that day- and those were the poorly executed note passing. It would have been easier to set up an official mailing system in there room, what with all the notes flying this way and that and here and there. Teams were being made, plans swapped, and excitement bubbling.

Yes, announcing the senior class would play a large game of assassin the morning of classes was defiantly a mistake.

Even Cody, who found it at first absurd and childish, was now jotting down plans. He, of course, was adding math into everything. The best places to shoot from, the probability of himself picking a name of someone he didn't want to kill, the accuracy percentile of this and that- even he couldn't stifle the anxiety welling up.

When the bell rang for the assembly to explain in further detail, the room was cleared within seconds. People pushed and shoved to get to the door, even if the game hadn't yet begun. Miss Tutweiler (who had bargained pretty dang hard with Mr. Mosby to even have him THINK about hosting this, and much more to have the idea go trough) was beginning to think it might not have been the best idea. Regardless, she gave a little hop as she exited the classroom; she herself warmed by the fun and merriment that the children would have. One last time to behave as children before they were adults.

Maya grabbed Zach's had as they exited, and Cody's fingers intertwined with Bailey's. The four made their way to the auditorium.

"I've been thinking-," Zach began.

"Crap! Thanks for the heads up! Scatter!" Cody teased him, "Save me, Bailey!" He thrust his newly rekindled girlfriend in front of him. Zach glared at him.

"Cody!" He growled, "I WAS SAYING that I think we should all stick together for this. The four of us?" He offered, "Better to work in teams."

"What about London? Or Woody? Or Addison? Reina?" Bailey listed off their friends, although she didn't really consider Reina a friend- she was sly, and quick and could be a good asset to their team. Plus she was Addison's room-mate, so...

"London won't last a day!" Zach gave a bark of laughter, "Sides- Woody, Addison, and Reina will all band together. They've been glued to each other the past week. Haven't you noticed?" He asked.

"Yes. The lack of taco smelling farts is a nice change." Cody commented lightly, "I agree with Zach. Smaller numbers- still a group, but easy to win." He said.

"What happens if one of us picks a name of each other- or however this is going to work?" She asked.

"That won't exactly happen. I've heard of games where you wear something- like a necklace or ribbon or something- and the object is to collect as many as you can." Zach said, "That would be interesting- we wouldn't have to go after each other. Plus, with hopes we wouldn't all four make it to the end." He reasoned.

"If you want to know the exact number of chance that we'd all four make it I can just-," Cody offered up immediately, as they sat down in the front of the auditorium, where the seniors sat.

"No." Bailey patted his hand, "I don't think that's needed. I mean, we don't even know how we're going to play the game- eh?" She nudged him affectionately. Cody grumbled, putting away his portable pocket calculator, a disgruntled look upon his face.

"Save all the statistics and stuff for when we're actually play, Cody." Maya chuckled, "With you AND Bailey- one of us is guaranteed a spot in the top." She scowled, but it was a thoughtful look, "Do you think that they'll offer a prize?" At this, Zach perked up.

"Of course! Yeah, it's fun doing it in GENERAL, but for all our hard work they HAVE to." He threw his hands up.

"They don't 'have' to do anything, Zach." Bailey rolled her eyes. It was no secret the two tolerated each other, Bailey mostly because she was dating his twin. Sure, he'd flirted with her at first, and she'd flirted with him to make Cody jealous, but the animosity that lay beneath the surface became more prominent each day. The worst was the news reporter- that's when people realized that the were friends for Cody's sake, but barley any more feelings than that. When she and Cody hadn't been dating; they had barely talked. Once or twice in a week or two; and that was a lot.

Bailey hated Zach's laziness, his attitude, and the way he thought he was so much cooler. She hated how work was a loose suggestion to him, when she'd been raised her whole life with work and exhaustion, where it seemed he hadn't even lifted a finger. She hated how he was so smooth- how he entrapped girls in a web so easily. She had fallen for it at first, but she'd soon seen the error of her ways.

Zach hated Bailey's persistence, hard working values, and smartness. He could deal with his brother and his brain, because they were brothers and they had to- but Bailey was a whole different story. He didn't have to like Bailey any more than he had to tolerate her. He hated how much of stick in the mud she was- never had he seen her break rules or do anything fun. And that if he were to do something wrong, she'd tattle quicker than one of her stupid Kansas similes she'd use.

So, they would play nice and get along for this; but neither had to be happy about it.

Zach turned his body, pivoting in the plush seats, to face her.

"Just like you don't 'have' to be a snotty know-it-all." He replied back with a hard edge. Both Cody and Maya gaped at him, amazed.

"Zach! You take that back!" Cody threatened.

"Yeah, Zach that was mean." Maya scowled.

"Stop it guys." Bailey rolled her eyes, "I can take care of it myself. I'm a big girl." She said, slightly annoyed that they had but in.

"But that crossed the line, Bailey. You know- we don't have to work with him if you don't want to." Cody said softly.

"Gee- sell your brother, no your only twin, only sibling out. Great to know I can count on you." Zach sneered.

"No it's fine. I'm more mature than Zach is. I can be civil." Bailey assured, much to Cody's relief.

Zach gave a snort, but didn't do much else. Maya narrowed her eyes, immediately starting ranting about how he should be nicer to Bailey, and that if he was like this to every person he didn't like, he wouldn't get far in life. Bailey held in a snort. He'd be a bum regardless of his attitude; that would just speed up the inescapable process.

When it seemed the whole senior class was crammed into the auditorium; a good two hundred or so kids, the lights dimmed.

Mr. Mosby walked onto the stage, and tapped his microphone. A horrible screeching sound echoed throughout the area, and everyone covered their ears.

"Sorry, sorry." He said briskly, obviously not wanting to spend more time on this than he had to. Miss Tutweiler skipped up, and took the mic from him. The joy from not having to talk about the rules and such was evident on his face. The red-headed teacher walked to the podium.

"Who's ready for some fun?" She yelled. The children hotted, cat called, and clapped. She smiled. Mr. Mosby looked ill.

"Good, because I assure that this will be nothing but." She said once the noise had calmed down. With a click of a remote, a screen slid down. When it blinked to life, the game 'assassin' appeared in what looked like the Star Wars font. It was accompanied by a sound effect of two blades clashing.

"This will be fun, but...nothing can be wonderful without rules." This made a wave of groans ease from everyone, but most people had been expecting as much so they weren't as annoyed.

"This is how it's going to go down. You will, tonight, get an enveloped slipped under your door with a randomly picked name that is NOT your own with your target. How to kill your target will be explained later on. We have set up a page on our school's website for this game. It shows a picture of everyone in your grade, and when someone is killed a red 'x' will be put over their picture to show that they are killed. If you happen to end up with your own name, that means that you've won for the time being. At the end, if more than one person ends up with their own name- which is bound to happen- we will have a special death round."

She paused, taking a breath.

"There will be a prize at the end; two to be exact." She said.

"See," Zach muttered to Bailey in a 'told-you-so' way, "Don't know everything, huh bookworm?" He taunted.

"I never said there wasn't." She retaliated sourly.

"One prize will be given to whoever wins overall, and the other who gets the most 'points'. Also be explained later," She paused, and added hesitantly, "We...well I believe...the prize will be money. Cash." This made everyone's excitement sky rocket and a chatter rose, drowning out her voice. She waited until it was mostly quiet, a half-afraid grin on her face.

"There are ways not to be killed, but you have to pay the price of possible embarrassment. We asked the underclassmen to come up with things you have to wear or do to be untouchable for an hour. Just and hour; we'll be keeping track. To get these; you must come to my classroom and ask for one. Only one a day."

"Now...the safe places are in the classroom, but not in hallways, when someone is working, or in the chapel we have. Anywhere else, including cabins, are fair game. Now- the points and how to kill someone." With each of her words, on the projector the words popped up, "You will be getting a list of these tonight with your first target, but I figured I'd better go over these now. There are many ways to kill someone that we have allowed. Depending on what method you use, gets you more points. To win points; at least one other person must be present to see and verify that you did this. Now please, act your age and be truthful with these." She glared hard at certain people, Zach included. Bailey smirked behind her hand.

Mrs. Tutweiler went through explaining each way to kill a person. It went as follows.

Direct Contact- "Less points than indirect, but is still effective. Well, anything you use is effective unless you fail to kill the person." She had reasoned with an afterthought.

-Water gun. "You must hit the target's clothing and make it visible for you to win the point; or at least hit them with enough water so that the hair is wet. No 'light misting' to count.' 5 points.

-Nerf gun. "You have to wet the end with non-toxic, washable paint or markers so when you hit someone, they can see it." 10 points.

\- Sock or tennis ball. "This one is tricky- we don't want any black eyes, but you have to be able to feel it when it hits you. Most effective way is to wet the ball or sock enough so upon impact, you can see the mark. In fact- do this. Hitting them dry will not help you at all." 15 points.

-Plastic Spoons, Knives, Forks, and Sporks/ Toothbrushes. "You have be holding these- no throwing to attack- and poke someone with it on the flesh. Pretty hard to argue with this one." 20 points.

-Sharpie markers. "Make a mark on their flesh. Anywhere else- clothing- you loose points. Any color works, in fact- usually people choose specific colors for this and later on things- like a calling card of some sort." 25 points.

-Stickers. "Any type of sticker, anywhere on the body that is visible. The sticker must have your name or a letter or two of your name. Can be pre-put on clothing, but only kills them if they are wearing it. That means if you check over your clothing before you put it on, and find a sticker, you can take it off and be okay." 30 points.

-Clothespin. "Sam rules as stickers for these." 30 points.

-Lipstick. "If you manage to get lipstick on the flesh anywhere- like the sharpies, it counts. Here's the hard part- it must be on your lips." The boys had groaned (mostly because this risked kissing any girlfriends for a while), and the girls grinned. 35 points.

Indirect Contact- "This is one more for being honest, and can be bent a bit. You need to be a responsible person with these and accept when you are killed by it.

-Poison "There are three types of poison that are..."

*hot sauce. "If you manage to put hot sauce in your target's food, you kill them. This is why the kitchen will not be offering any hot sauce until the end of the year. You must find other ways of obtaining it. And trust me, this one is pretty hard to play off. If you're going to use this- I encourage you to use the hottest kind you can find. Otherwise, no point." 40 points.

* toothpick. "If you manage to put a toothpick with a paper flag reading poison and your own name, then you kill someone." 40 points.

* the 'slip'. "If you manage to put a piece of paper under someone's plate- or tape it to a plate they eat off of- and they must find it, or you tell them (which could be risky if it's not really under there and you let on that you're targeting them) you kill them." 40 points.

-Bombs

*Cd bomb- "If you manage to tape a CD saying 'Whoever, you've been killed by whoever' and put it in their stereo and they play it, you kill them. " 45 points.

*Email bomb- "If you make a document reading that 'you have been killed by whoever' and they open it on their laptop, you kill them. This is one you MUST be honest with, and same as above." 45 points.

*Mail bomb- "You can enclose the message in a letter with a dart. If they open it, and read the letter, they are dead." 45 points.

-Animals. "You can put rubber animals in beds, books, backpacks, closets- anywhere where the person can find them. You have to write the name of the intended, and your name for it to work. This way, if a friend finds it and shows the intended, the target is not killed, and you have been revealed. Of course, you'd still be in the game, but now they know. Animals that are fair game are PLASTIC OR RUBBER snakes, rats, spiders, lizard, and bugs." 50 points.

When she was done, she smiled sweetly and said, "You are dismissed. The games officially start tomorrow. Good luck. May the best senior win."

As they exited, Zach wrung his hands together, looking like a mad man. Bailey could already see the wheels spinning in his mind.

"Too easy. I may be bad at book smarts, but this is everything I'm good at." He jut his chin out haughtily, "They might as well just give me the prize now. I'm going to win." He said with so much conviction, Bailey believed it. But only for a second.

"Think again. I'm going to win. And you will loose." She said with fake sweetness.

Zach stopped in his tracks.

"Is that a challenge?" He asked, stepping close so they were an inch apart.

"Only if you think you can handle it." She said, "We wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."

"Oh, it's you that should be worried." He said, quirking an eyebrow. Then his grinned, "Let's make a bet. If you're up to it."

"What kind of bet?" She asked.

"Bailey, come on- this isn't worth it!" Cody pulled at her wrist anxiously, knowing how devious his twin could be.

"Zach cut it out- whoever wins, wins." Maya said from the others side, gripping his shoulder. Both ignored their partners.

"A...agreement of sorts." he said, shaking Maya's hand off. He took a step back, a tiny one still, and a thoughtful look came across his face. Cody moaned, knowing that expression quite well.

"Agreement?" Bailey's face revealed nothing.

"Yes. Whoever wins; or gets the most points gets to be a slave to the other for a day." He said. Bailey looked unsure.

"What goes? What does the other person do?" She asked hesitantly.

"Anything the winner desires." A dark expression came over his face, and he grabbed a wrist, "I know exactly what I'll do with you." No one missed the indication in his voice, and Maya stomped her foot. She wedged between them, and slapped Zach's face.

"Don't you dare! That's cheating on me, and making her cheat on Cody and wrong and horrible!" She hissed, "That's it...we're leaving!" She said.

"Good idea. You're disgusting, Zach." Cody said, and pulled Bailey in the other direction.

"That's right, run away. I knew you'd be spineless, bookworm!" He yelled after her. Bailey just grit her teeth and walked away.

But, three minuets later, Zach received a text from Bailey.

"You're on."


	2. Chapter 2

"And this was the start of the horrible game?" The lawyer asked Zach, who nodded mutely.

"It seemed like such a good idea then."

"Doesn't everything?" The lawyer asked with exasperation, rubbing his tired eyes. Zach fiddled with his fingers nervously, and looked back at his own lawyer, who gave him a confident nod. Zach gulped and looked back to the wiry man, or Mr. Oslak- the lawyer questioning him.

"And were you excited about this game, Mr. Martin?" Mr. Oslak asked, narrowing his eyes, almost in a disgusted way.

"'Course." Zach mumbled, "I mean. It was something to take our minds off the end of the year and our schooling there. For a long time, that ship had been my home."

A chorus of 'awwws' came from the people sitting there. Mr. Oslak looked angry. "Using sympathy? This is no more than an act, so please- don't take pity on him." He said to the crowd, Turing around, his expensive shoes clacking against the floor.

"And you, and three other people decided to create an allegiance. The others in question; Ms. Bennett, Mr. Cody Martin, and Ms. Pickett?" He spat each name like a vulgar curse word. Zach's hands clenched at the way he spoke of them.

"Yes. They were my friends."

"Were?" A light caught in Mr. Oslak's eyes.

"Are. They are my friends." Zach attempted to cover quickly.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Oslak looked at him through narrowed eyes, "Are they still all you're friends."

Zach glared at the man that he hated too much, and said with an edge, "Of course. They are all still my friends."

"Hard to believe; after what happened." Mr. Oslak said wistfully, his dark eyes glancing at Zach who made no comment, but the man could see the words that he wanted so badly to squeeze out near busting beneath his skin.

All he needed was a way to cut him open…

"Read back what Zach said." He waved his hand to the person jotting down the information. The small plump man did so, and Mr. Oslak nodded and hummed at each statement. Finally, he turned back.

"Just…curiously…what was going to be your 'prize' if you won the bet with the Pickett girl?" He asked. Zach glanced around, and felt the color rise to his face.

"Objection!" Zach's own lawyer, Mrs. Meridan, looked at the judge, "This is…irrelevant." She breathed. The judge thought and then nodded to her.

"Agreed." He said and Mr. Oslak looked nettled, glaring back at Mrs. Meridan.

"Fine. We'll move on. What happened next?"

"Well…next would be when we got our first targets…"

TGICD

The manila envelopes, sealed with real wax and ribbon, were slid under the doors at ten thirty. The twelevth deck (the decks for the students started with the youngest- the ninth graders on deck nine), where the seniors were, was buzzing with anticipation as they tore them open with animalistic hunger.

All thought he halls, the clicking of laptops could be heard as people logged onto the website, most seeing the face of their victim for the first time.

Cody received the letters, first, almost tempted to open Woody's because he was off somewhere with Addison. Almost. His fingers were at the seal before he stopped, and the realization how low he'd nearly sunk dawned on him. The worst thing; he barley felt guilty.

Of course, after this came to thoughts, he did feel guilty. Guilty that within a few hours he'd be willing to sink so low. So..Zach like. Good ting Zach had his own room, because Zach would not have hesitated to gather leads on his enemy.

Resisting the will to open Woody's, he set it on Woody's pillow and turned away. No. He wouldn't be tempted. And just to be sure, he grabbed his laptop and headed from his room.

He had to go stealthy, because lights out was in half an hour, and the teachers got snappy if they found you out even twenty minuets before. But, he'd picked up a few things from Zach in his years.

He managed to make it down to a door that looked like a regular room in less than five minuets (slinking away from his math teacher, Mr. Cool, at one occasion).

The room, in fact, had been a fluke. Arwin knew about it, as did only Zach and Bailey. Mr. Mosby was quite aware of it as well, but let it go because he'd heard very un-teacher like giggling with moans of 'Marion' coming from it. He chooses not to think about those times. Once, Zach had walked in on them.

After that, it seemed that Mr. Mosby and the three teens shared an understanding. Never let on that either knew, and it would remain a secret.

No one knew really what the room's use originally was, or how it came to be what it was now, but no one bothered to think that much.

It looked like any regular door- easy enough. But, if you jiggled the handle just right, and slipped a pin into the lock while doing so, it opened to the most magnificent room Cody had ever seen.

First, it opened to a shifty looking flight of stairs that led you one floor down. It always gave Cody the chills walking down these, because of the lack of light at night. During the day, it was lighted fine, but during the night…

But it was worth it. Once you opened the grand double doors at the bottom, you couldn't help but feel like you'd stepped into a magical word.

Cody was well versed in Harry Potter. Bailey loved the series. And this room…well, it was the biggest bathroom he'd ever seen. In fact, he wondered if the designer of this room had been a Harry Potter fan because it fit down to every detail of the prefect's bathroom in the books. Right down to the sprockets that poured different scented smells.

But, even more magnificent, which he didn't think was in the books, was four glass doors leading to a porch. It was easy forget you were on a ship here, and it was one of the most relaxing places.

Cody was not looking for a bath tonight, and just sat at the edge of the pool, which was never empty. Of course, it was just normal water right now, but still warmed like a hot tub.

Before he could sit down, he saw a pile of clothing near the edge. He smirked, scanning the water's surface, which was infested with bubbles.

"Bailey, come on out." He called. Bailey broke the surface a second later, her hair wet and swimming suite clad body swimming over to him.

"Same idea I had?" She guessed, looking at the letter, "I haven't opened mine yet."

"Wanna do it together?" He offered as Bailey climbed from the large, more a lake than anything else, pool and wrapped a fluffy towel around her shivering body.

"What if one of us has each other?" She asked.

"We both know we calculated the statistics, and that the chances are so slim I wouldn't worry in the first round." Cody rolled his eyes, for once being not a bit afraid. Bailey gnawed on her lip.

"Okay." She agreed. She slipped her jeans and tee shirt over her wet body, and wrung her hair out.

"You don't have to do that thing with Zach, Bailes." Cody suddenly blurted out, his expression firm, "You don't have to prove a thing."

"What if I want to?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know better than to roll dice with the devil! He'd cheat to win, and he's despicable." Cody huffed.

"Oh, he wouldn't touch me. It's all just a big show. He's too loyal to Maya." She laughed, brushing aside his worry.

"I'm his twin! I know him, Bailey!" He protested weakly, because he knew that once Bailey decided something, she was firm. She seemed to sense his decline in persuasiveness, and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm gong to win this, Cody, so there's no reason to worry." She whispered, and held the envelope out in front of her, "Now. Are we gunna sit here fighting, or find out our first targets?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrow.

"On the count of three? One…two…three…" The bathhouse was suddenly echoing with the ripping of paper, and the crinkling of the letter.

"A truce, right? To help each other?" Cody questioned as he looked at his paper.

"Of course." Bailey said, her eyes scanning the paper, "Who's your target?"

"I don't know her." He offered offhandedly first, "Her name is…Ima Beauty."

"I wouldn't doubt that. She's a…London." She figured this was the best way to describe it, "Well, the whole girly-girl part at least. She's actually very smart and in advanced math class with us. She's the girl who's always sketching fashion designs? She sits…in front of you?" She said with a laugh. Cody looked surprised.

"That's her?"

"Geeze, and how long have we been at this school? Really, Cody?" She questioned.

"The only pretty girls I notice is you Bailey." He blushed hard when he said this, and Bailey's face turned slightly pink.

"Well, that's who she is." Bailey mumbled a bit quietly, then glanced at her card with disgust, "I have that mad scientist kid- Flash B'aang. You know, the one with the electrified hair and only wears white shirts with unidentified stains?"

"Ah, yes." Cody looked thoughtful, "Good luck with him." There was mirth in his voice and Bailey punched his shoulder.

"Hey, hey!" She said, "At least he's probably too much in his own world to notice any kind of killings." She pointed out.

"True. We got lucky." He paused, "Yeah. We got lucky."

TGICD

Zach's hands were all over his envelope, barley giving the letter time to breath, the paper still warm from whoever's hand had been carrying it to deliver.

On his bed was already a catch of killing methods; he was serious about this. He was sure that if they gave grades, he'd ace it. He was trying to make some kind of belt; something, to be assured that he was always read for his target.

"This game will take place yada, yadda, yadda….be careful not to…boring, boring, boring…play this game with consideration…talk, talk, talk…Ah ha!" His fingers jabbed the page as he skimmed, "Zach Martin, you're target is…Poppy Popperson?" He threw the paper up.

"Gosh dangit! I had to get the girl that's been in love with me since I came here!" He spat, but then paused, "Wait- that will make it even easier. I guess I could get someone that hates me…Like Bailey." He pulled a face.

He hummed with satisfaction, looking over his pile of weapons. In his head, he visualized the redhead, smirking. "What to kill you with, Miss Popperson?" he whispered, a maniacal gleam coming to his eyes, "Easy first, Z. Easy first." He paced himself, deciding to go with direct contact.

"Perhaps, this?" He held up a sticker sheet with his initials on it, "Feel her up?" he paused, and thought of Maya and grudgingly set them down, "No."

"Or this? Simple water gun?" He held up the electric yellow squinter, and put it snugly down his pants, "A last resort, he said patting it." He rifled through his materials, and then came across his desired killing method.

"Yes. Sharpie marker. This will work." He said, a threw himself down on the extra bed, "Too easy. Bailey's gunna loose; and I don't even need anyone's help! Ha!" He scoffed.

There was a knocking at his door, and he got up. It was Maya.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, frowning.

"To see who's your target, of course!" Maya pushed herself in, kissing him on the lips.

"It's nearly after hours." He said weakly, but it was more out of habit. Maya often stayed the night.

"Since when did you care?" She took a look at his loot, and raised an eyebrow, "Getting busy, I see? Wait- is that my lipstick!" She swiped up a tube of bright red.

"Guilty." He said, "But you'd let me borrow it, yeah?" He asked, giving his adorable puppy dog pout. Maya sighed, and caved.

"Course I would." The tube gave a dull thud as it hit the bed cover, "So. Who?"

She herself had the envelope between her fingers, waving it around like a fan.

"Poppy." He said honestly, because he didn't find any problem with telling his girlfriend.

Maya looked annoyed, "That girl who hangs pictures of you in her locker?" She spat.

"The very same." He said triumphantly.

"I don't like it." She announced.

"Well, you can't very well do much about it!" he rolled his eyes, chuckling, "Now you're turn."

"A girl named Catherine High." She said.

"Ohh…good luck. She's like a karate champion- she could snap you like a twig!" Zach said. Maya huffed.

"I know!" She moaned, "What am I going to do? She's impossible!" Then, sheen grew over her eyes, and she kissed Zach's lips seductively.

"Zachy." She said in a low voice, "Do you think, that perhaps," She kissed down his jaw with each word, "You could…" She was at his collarbone, "Help?"

"You know I can't say no when you're like that." Zach groaned, and stepped away, composing himself, "I will…try. But I have to put myself first."

"Of course." She said, smiling. Zach was about to reply, when the hall monitor when through, slamming a paddle against everyone's doors.

"Lights out!" He was yelling. Zach looked at the door, then back at Maya.

"Guess it wouldn't be safe for me to go back. Guess I'll have to stay here." Maya said with no realness behind her words.

Zach just smirked, and played along, "What a shame."

TGICD

Alec Render ran his long, spidery fingers though his dark brown hair. His eyes glazed over the sheet, a smile creeping across his face.

"Someone good? A girl?" His room-mate, Godric Michael, asked eagerly. Alec swallowed.

"I'm sure as heck not telling you." He harrumphed, and tucked the paper into his pocket, "Unless…you'd be willing to say yours."

Godric looked decisive, and then said in a low voice, "Just as long as you don't kill me."

"Why would I do that?" Alec leaned in, intrigued now. Godric gulped.

"It's…Lex Spider…" He whispered, and then a playful look shoot across his face, "Your girlfrie-,"

"She is not my girlfriend!" Alec's face turned the appropriate shade of a tomato, "She'd never like a computer geek like me." He mumbled with a downcast expression, "Wonderful. You get an excuse to stalk her and I have that annoying small kid Archer."

"Archer Tyko?" Godric asked, and chuckled, "He'd be easy. We already know everyday he goes to the ice-cream parlor at exactly twelve o' eight and gets a double scoop with strawberries and nuts." Godric listed off, and Alec glanced at him question.

"Geezus, how do you know that?" Alec was looking at him a bit warily now, almost distrustfully.

"I thought this was common knowledge." Godric shrugged, "Plus, I suppose I'm just observant."

"Observant, huh." Alec snorted and rolled onto his pillow, "More like snake-like. Squeezing my target from me. You really are the son of a politician."

"I never claimed I wasn't." Godric's smile stretched wide across his face, "You're just too easy. You'd better hope for your sake, I never get your name."

TGICD

"Splinter." Splinter started at his name. Splinter didn't have a last name; he just was. People joked his mother hadn't even given him a name, but that wasn't too far from the truth (seeing as he was an orphan and never actually had a name to begin with). After years and years, and his body filling out to a toothpick like build just as thin and tall, he acquired the unusual name. But, if he had to pick a last name, it would be Dutch.

So that's whom people loosely knew the boy as, Splinter Dutch. Most would say he was a mystery. He was quite, rarely talked, and always seemed to appear from nowhere. From the best of most abilities, they could only see he had no friends. There was an unapproachable air around him, that anyone that thought they might attempt to befriend him, reconsidered.

He looked rather ghastly too, with his pale, pale blue spirit like eyes, and pale, pale blond hair. The frown always fixated on his face did nothing to heal the rumors, so he'd become like a deity of some sort that attended high school.

Many mysteries shrouded him, and no one knew their secrets, only Splinter.

Most would assume he'd be a friend with his roommate, Camden Watson, but it was completely the opposite. Camden was a nice enough guy; fairly popular, kindhearted, got good grades- as was Splinter. But, when you put the two together, horrible wars broke out between them for unphantamoable reason. It seemed that they just outright hated each other, like something had been whispering lies about one another, and now they were both too blinded to see how horrible they acted toward each other.

"Yes?" Splinter asked calmly, his cold blue eyes narrowed.

"Here are the notes." Camden held the envelope from him like it was a dead bug, and let it drop unceremoniously. With a roll of his eyes, Splinter picked it up from the ground.

"Why thanks so much." There was unbridled sarcasm over spilling in Splinter's tone.

"You have an easy person; I wonder if they purposely put weak people together, for the benefit of 'fairness'."

This is when Splinter noticed a tear in the paper. Anger blazed through him, "You went through my sheet?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Whats it to ya?" Camden said, and sneered, as he pulled out a clean, nice looking shirt and put it on, "Rose Shepard; puh-leeze! She'd get herself out if she could; she told Ms. Tutwiler that her M&Ms were defective." He scoffed, "Oh teacher, my candy is bad! They're all W's." He mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

Splinter just rolled his eyes. "Where are you off too." He said with no conviction of actually caring.

"To see Kennedy." He said, "Because I actually talk to girls and have a social life. She said she had something to tell me."

"Maybe that she's breaking up with you? At least," He turned to face Camden, "That's what she told me. Along with the next comment of that I'm a better kisser than you ever were. Want proof?" He said, anticipating the next question, "Ask her about…a bathtub on the eleventh floor as big as a swimming pool."

He turned back to his paper, and heard Camden swearing. Splinter reached his hand back, and caught whatever Camden had thrown at him. Ah, a paperweight. He was getting creative. At first it was thinks like…socks…and pencils. Nice to see he was branching out.

"Have fun!" Splinter called cheerfully as Camden slammed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, the teacher, Mr. Cool- i actually have a teacher named that. He shares a room with Mrs. Gross. No joke; oh, the irony at my school!
> 
> My own OCs 
> 
> -Ima Beauty, Catherin Kicks, Poppy Popperson, Flash B'aang, Alec Render, Lex Spider, Archer Tyko, Godric Michaels, Splinter Dutch, Camden Watson, Rose Shepard, and Kennedy are all mine :P


	3. Chapter 3

When Zach entered the classroom the next morning, still weary as usual, he didn't notice the laughs and the giggles in his direction. He didn't even register that Cody was talking to him until he was shoved, or attempted to, from his seat.

He caught himself, snapping awake.

"What?" He hissed.

"Why are you so tired?" There was hesitance in Cody's voice.

"Maya was over." He smirked.

"Zach!" Cody hissed, his face turning a look of shock.

"What? People do it all the time- I can't help it Bailey is just a-,"

"Zach, Cody!" Ms. Tutwiler snapped, pointing to the board "Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" She questioned. Cody's face turned the appropriate shade of a tomato.

"No, ma'am." He mumbled. Zach just shrugged.

"Then please, listen." He glared at the two of them, and Cody looked about to cry.

"Yes, ma'am." He said again.

The lesson was boring, as normal. But now that Zach was awake, he was beginning to notice something. People were shooting him weird looks, like amazement and disbelief. There was notes flying around, and he suspected half of them were NOT about the game. No, because people would unfurl them and look at him, ten look away blushing. And there was papers…sticking from some people's bags that were being passed underneath desks.

Yes, something was up.

And if those things weren't clue enough, it was not just him people were looking at. It was Splinter Dutch as well. What could he and that silent kid possibly have in common? Nothing! He hardly spoke to the kid! Well, except for that one time-

Zach's eyes grew wide. No! They couldn't know! Could they? No way. It was just not possible. Not possible at all.

By third period his guesses were looking more and more likely, with now some people made rude gestures to him, mocking him, and other things that he'd rather not think about.

He had to sit through four painful class periods before he could snatch a paper away from the hands of a classmate.

"Never knew you batted for the other team, eh?" The boy that had owned the paper said with a smirk, and looked away, "I guess all that dating around was just a cover. And now, it makes sense."

"You'd better shut up, unless you want you're face punched in." Zach threatened, but the boy just laughed, like he could no longer believe Zach was capable of doing so, and walked away.

With anger-shaking hands, he read the newspaper. Or, more accurately, he looked at the picture, and his worst fear was confirmed.

When one played truth or dare, usually things were kept a secret. It was part of the swear of the game…and Zach, well anyone that had ever played with him knew he was game for anything. And he meant anything.

Drink toilet water? Streak once around the sky deck at midnight? Lick chocolate off someone's armpits? Trade all your clothing with a girl only using your mouth? It was all good. Zach was the daredevil. No matter how gross, dirty, embarrassing, or risky- he would do it.

Include make-out with a guy for no less than five minuets. French kiss, and hands can wander.

Heck! Everyone went through that phase when they thought they might like the same gender as themselves, and he was going through that time when he'd been dared so! And plus, he had a reputation to uphold. He couldn't let it slip because of the fear of kissing a guy.

What had been the most surprising was that Splinter, the other guy in the equation, had been game. It hadn't been bad…not amazing though, and he defiantly had decided he liked women.

But how anyone could have gotten a picture was beyond him! The rule was no photo taking of anything, or else if you were caught you'd be subjected to every dare or truth spread around the school. And why release it now? This had happened nearly three months ago!

He slammed the paper down at the lunch table, and Cody flinched. Bailey and Maya both grabbed it, obviously not yet heard or seen the picture with the column all about the 'secret relationship' between he and Splinter.

Cody just looked at Zach, saying nothing. He had been there, so he knew just as well as he did that it was just a dare. Something, the article had chosen to leave out.

"Zach- is there something you need to tell me?" Maya asked tensely. She hadn't been there.

"No! I'm not gay! That was a dare!" he sat down in a huff, "It wasn't supposed to even leave the room…" He breathed quietly. He was more upset about this than he'd ever let on. Yes, he loved when things were spread about him when it worked in his favor! Not, against it.

"Do you know what people have been saying about you?" Cody whispered, frowning.

"What? What have people been saying about my Zach?" There was a threatening tone to Maya's voice, sharp and demanding. Cody whispered the awful things that had been circulating about Zach that day, and Zach tried to tune it out.

He'd been so…obsessed with this whole fiasco the whole day! He had even forgotten about the game; watching his back, and targeting Poppy!

Cody, who had finished telling Maya, who now wore a dark look on her face, turned to his twin.

"Someone who was at the game musta had a camera." He whispered.

"No duh, Sherlock!" Zach spat, then swore under his breath, "But who…who would have and then who would have written something like this?" He moaned.

"Well, let's start going through who was at the game." Cody said, and frowned, "Well, me, you, and Splinter obviously. Camden, Woody, London, Reina, Addison, Alec, Godric, Gemma Bond, Claudia McKindric, Sophia Ross, Dixie Kyoko, Kennedy, Dawn, Misty…and two others."

"Uh, excuse me?" Bailey huffed angrily.

"Oh, yeah! You were there, weren't you?" Zach said and then scowled, "It was you!" He pointed and accusing finger at her.

"What? No! Of course not!" She said, hurt seeping into her voice.

"Zach! How could you even..suggest such a thing?" Cody growled.

"You hate me. This would be perfect payback to make sure I loose the game!" Zach stood angrily, balling the paper into a fist.

"No! I would never! I'm not that mean!" She looked genuine, but Zach's anger and embarrassment clouded his vision.

"Oh yeah, I'm so sure." He spat.

"Zach!" Bailey cried as he stalked away, but he just tuned her out. With a loud cuss word, he chucked the trashcan and left the lunchroom.

TGICD

During gym, Splinter approached Zach. He looked just as peeved as the other boy. Maya glared at him, as she hung to his arm.

"What are you doing talking to me?" Zach asked angrily, "It will just make them talk more."

"You saw?" Splinter asked. Zach gave him a searing look. Maya huffed.

"I bloody well did! How the hell could I not!" He all but screamed.

"Shush, lower you're voice." Maya whispered.

"People have been talking." Splinter said.

"Unless you're going to sit here and state the obvious, get away from me." Zach sulked.

"I just wanted to tell you that I know who printed the article, and who is responsible." He said casually, "But…if you want me to leave-,"

"No!" Zach grabbed his hand as he turned to leave, and someone whistled. He dropped the hand like it had burned him, and grit his teeth.

"Make it quick." He growled.

"Oh, don't worry. I despise all this just as much as you do." There was a glint in his eyes Zach was very accustomed to, an almost demonic glint. The same Zach had gotten the night before when he'd been planning. Splinter rose an inch in respect in Zach's eyes.

"Get on with it." Zach whispered excitedly.

"The person with the picture was my roommate, Camden. And no, we do not like each other. I made him made yesterday, and this is how he repays me." Splinter shrugged, "I stole his phone and deleted the photo, but unfortunately the damage is already done." He frowned, "Maybe I shouldn't have deleted it. Oh well."

"Idiot." Maya hissed, "You should have kept his phone! Used the knowledge against him!" Splinter didn't seem affected by her angered tone.

"And the person that agreed to print it? Someone in the newspaper club, yes?" Zach guessed. Splinter actually looked momentarily surprised, but stifled this.

"Gemma Bond." He said.

"But she seems so nice!" Maya gaped, "Why would she do something like…like…" She seemed a loss for words.

Splinter shrugged, "Heck if I know. She probably owes Camden something." He snorted, "Everyone owes Camden something."

"I'm going to re-arrange his face!" Zach said, "Both of them! I don't care about not hitting girls!"

"Don't you worry. At least, not about Camden anyway." Splinter made a motion like he was shooting a bow from an arrow, "I have a plan of revenge for Camden already."

"Is it something that could get you expelled?" Maya asked.

"Oh, absoultly." His eyes shone. Zach's respect for him shot up a couple more inches.

"Loverboys!" The coach yelled at them from across the gym, "Over here now!" This made everyone burst out laughing. Apparently, the teachers had seen as well. Ah-frickin-mazing.

Splinter blushed a bit, while Zach bit back a long string off cuss words at the teacher, while Maya grabbed his arm hard.

"Ignore it." She whispered in his ear.

"Yes coach?" Splinter asked with a level tone, much more than Zach would have been able to accomplish.

"Would you please join the rest of us?" The coach smirked.

The three made their way to where everyone sat. There was a silence, sans snickers as Splinter and Zach purposely sat as far away from each other as possible.

"Splinter, boy!" Splinter started at the coach's booming voice, "You're a black belt in karate, right?" He yelled.

"Yes sir. And other forms of fighting and defense. Anything, really." He frowned.

"Would you mind demonstrating?" The lanky boy shrugged, and stood.

Zach, from truth or dare, knew he was good. He'd put many kids in a hospital, with them having to stay weeks at the earliest. He hadn't killed, but came close. He knew every pressure point on the body, and with once touch could knock someone unconscious. He could chock someone, hold his own, and apparently should have been dead long ago from the abuse he'd been through. So, it was no surprise, when the class ended, the Coach had a black eye, bruised all over, open wound, and was limping. And this, most everyone had soon figured out, was Splinter going easy.

No one would make remarks about him being gay to his face, unless they wanted death, Zach thought. Behind his back, of course. He now almost felt sorry for Camden, and what Splinter would do to him. Almost.

TGICD

"Eric!" A honey like voice crooned, and the boy blushed as the beautiful girl sashayed over to him. She smiled entrancingly at him.

"Hey, Gemma." He blushed, and she gave a wide smile, showing off her perfect teeth.

"What's up, mate?" She asked, using her Australian accent. She had been born there, and could do an English perfectly, what she usually used. She only used her Australian accent in times like this.

"Nothing- hey!" He said, "Did you hear about Zach and Splinter? I'm actually not surprised Zach's gay."

"Yes! Such a surprise!" She breathed, putting her hand on her heart, "And that picture was so racy!"

"I wonder who wrote that?" He smiled, "Or who got the picture." Gemma tipped her head to the side, frowning, feigning innocence.

"I don't know." She tapped her chin, "It's really awful though. Forcing them to come out of the closet like such."

"Yeah. So what's new with you? We haven't talked in such a long time!" he breathed.

"Yeah, sorry. Been busy with school. Nearly the end of the year, you know? And looking at colleges and everything." She said vaguely.

"Oh yeah, I totally understand. So where are you thinking of going?" He asked, "I'm going to Madison, Wisconsin."

"Good for you!" She squeaked, "I'm not sure yet." She shrugged.

"Gemma! Come on, we're going to be late for class!" Gemma's roommate Sophie Ross hissed.

"Oh, sorry. Got to go." She said apologetically to Eric, "But one second…how about a hug?" She asked, putting on her cutest face.

"Sure!" Eric said enthusiastically and she smirked as he pulled her close. When she stared to pull away, she put a hand on his chest. "Bam, you're dead." She whispered.

The dreamy expression on Eric's face morphed from that, to confusion, to shock. He pulled the sticker from his shirt, staring at it like he was willing it to vanish.

"See you, Eric." She said and walked away. Sophie looked at her sourly, her hair frizzing more than usual.

"Miss 007, did you just kill that boy?" She asked.

"Yes, Bear." Gemma laughed as she tucked the sticker sheet back into her backpack.

"You'll make us late though, now!" She muttered.

"Eh…." Gemma gave a noncommittal wave of her hand.

Sophie frowned deeper, and looked back at Eric, who was still staring at the sticker in a state of shock, "What about getting his person?" She asked.

"Oh! Duh!" Gemma laughed, and turned to yell back, "Yo Eric! I need you're target please!" Eric scowled and sourly took the sheet with the name of his target from his pants, and threw it at them. Then he stalked away.

"Sore loser." Gemma muttered.

"Ew! Are you going to touch that, really?" Sophie was looking at the crumpled paper.

"How else am I going to find out my target?" She nudged the paper with the toe of her shoe.

"Ask him?" Sophie breathed like it was obvious.

"Hehe…yeah, he's not gunna tell me." Gemma rubbed her neck, "What the heck." She was bending down to pick the sheet when Bailey stepped on it.

"A word, Miss Bond." She said through narrowed eyes.

"Sure." Gemma stood up, running a finger through her curly brown hair.

"I know it was you that printed the story." She said with an icy voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Gemma frowned.

"That innocent doesn't fool me. That's low. And that won't make him like you, even send him away."

"What makes you think I like him?" She asked.

"Oh, please. I know a desperate attempt at it when I see one." Bailey grinned, but it was not welcoming.

"Well why do you care? You hate Zach. This should make you jump with glee." Gemma raised her chin.

"True." Bailey agreed, "But it's upsetting Cody and Maya. They are my boyfriend and one of my good friends. Therefore, it's my business." She said tensely, "I don't want much. I just want to know why."

"You got the wrong girl, Kansas." Gemma smiled, "Now, I must be going to class. Passing time is nearly up. Wouldn't wannna be late, Miss Perfect?" She asked. Bailey bit her lip, and looked at the clock.

"I know it was you." Bailey said as she backed away.

Gemma watched her leave. Sophie came to stand behind her.

"It was you, right?" Sophie whispered.

"Of course it was! But you know the rule. Deny, deny, deny." Gemma laughed.

"But why? Was it to get Zach's attention?"

"Somewhat. But mostly, you know I like to cause problems for Zach and Maya, eh? Perfect. When Camden asked me- well, it was too good to refuse." She pointed out.

Sophie sighed. "What are we going to do with you, Miss 007?" She groaned. Gemma heard the bell ring, signaling the start of class. Sophie's eyes widened, and she looked sallow. Gemma just smiled softly, picking the papers from the ground. She patted her friend's arm, as she tucked the papers into her bag.

"Absolute nothing, not yet, Bear."

TGICD

"It's really upsetting Zach. He refuses to come out of his room." Cody whispered to Bailey, "He barfed- like for real." There was evident worry in Cody's voice.

"Gemma denied she wrote and printed the article." Bailey sighed.

"You talked to her?" There was awe and confusion in her boyfriend's voice.

"Yes." Bailey said snippily, "Just because seeing you and Maya look so…upset is upsetting me."

"Thanks for trying." Cody sighed. "What did you get for number five?" He asked, looking at her work.

"Eight cm." She said, and Cody scowled, looking at his own sheet, "How do you know he really barfed?"

"Because…well, it's a twin thing." Cody shrugged, "I never thought I'd see the day when ZACH let rumors get to him."

"Splinter's not in much better shape." Bailey agreed, chewing on the end of her pen, "He left during my art class. Looked absolute like dead- he's not as strong as Zach ever was. He looked on the verge of tears." She frowned, "Poor guy."

"He says he has something planned for Camden, at least." Cody pointed out, "And lord knows he deserves it. This is awful."

"What kind of plan?"

"Revenge." Cody looked ill at the word, "I…I don't know though. I mean, did you see the way he beat up Coach? There's no way that Camden will be able to play off ANYTHING he does. Why the heck did he release that picture anyway?"

"I heard Kennedy talking about it." Bailey said. Cody's eye's furrowed in confusion.

"Camden's girlfriend?"

"Ex." Bailey corrected, "Apparently, somehow they both got a little drunk and started making out. Kennedy realized that she liked Splinter's kisses better, and broke up with Cam."

"So…he released the photo because he stole his girlfriend." Cody said, not understanding. Bailey knew he'd never understand something as trivial as this, but she could see from a girl's perspective. Kennedy felt awful (Not only because she really didn't want Splinter to be gay), but because she felt she was the reason for this.

"Yes. Kind of. Well…I guess the two- Splinter and Camden- have always been going at it…and this was just the last straw. How he got a camera into the game, though, I…don't know…" She looked confused, then a deep look set upon her face.

"What?" Cody whispered.

"I think she knows about the bathroom. She just told her friends that she and Splinter kissed in a special room on deck 11. What other room could it be? And now, Camden knows too. You see…he didn't believe Splinter when he claimed he kissed Kennedy. He told him to ask her about the bathroom on deck 11. She confessed everything."

"This is not good! I don't like the fact that Woody, London, Reina, and Addison all found out- along with us four!"

"Yes. Kennedy had the right idea not to tell the girls where it was. I talked with her and confined that we knew, and she had already thought to herself that she should keep it a secret. Don't know about Splinter or Camden though. Camden is…."

"Impulsive." Cody finished for her, "The picture…he didn't think anything through, I don't think."

"Oh, on the contrary, I quite think he did." Bailey raised a finger, "Did you know he's the fourth smartest in our grade? Behind me, you, and Dex- of course."

"But that doesn't mean he thought of anything. He was blinded by anger, Bailes." He frowned.

"People do crazy things for the ones they love." Bailey laughed, and Cody gave a thin smile. Looking over his shoulder, glad to see the study hall teacher was busy, leaned in and gave Bailey a kiss.

TGICD

By the end of the day, the death rate was only six. Everyone was edgy and paranoid enough so that anyone who came in a three-foot radius was put on watch.

Zach was in his room, hiding under his covers. The whole day had been horrible. One boy can only take so much mockery and pain before he broke. Something had heaved inside him, and before he knew it, his lunch had ended up on the floor.

One thing, though, was that Splinter had texted him that he had gone back to his cabin as well. It was nice to know he had an ally-someone that was going through the same as he, right now.

He'd tried to tell people it was a truth or dare game, but (Surprise, surprise) No one believed him. In his mind, he knew that if the article hadn't been pinned with the picture, people would believe. But for some reason, seeing the photo with written words, made everyone believe. A bunch of idiots- all of them.

But, a bunch of idiots that made Zachary Martin want to curl up and cry and never set foot from his cabin again. Luckily, with Marcus gone, if he looked the door, he'd be the only one with business in the room.

He couldn't sleep, although, with the pain eating away at him. It was midnight when someone rapped on his door.

"Go away." He moaned into his pillow.

"Zach! It's Splinter, open up- now!" Splinter's voice was unnatural. It was higher pitched, fearful, frantic, deranged, and he sounded close to tears. Zach cautiously went the door.

"Are you alone?" He asked.

"Yes! Just please- open up!" The tone of his voice made sure Zach didn't think twice. He unlocked it, and Splinter burst into the room. He looked…different.

His whole body was shaking uncontrollably, his face pale, his eyes wide and filled with unshed tears, and his hands were twitching. He looked like death as well, and he suddenly just collapsed.

"Dude!" Zach closed the door, "What's wrong?"

Splinter ran his fingers through his hair, knotting it. "Didn't know who to go to. What will they think?" He whispered, like he was talking to someone who wasn't there.

"Splinter! What happened?" Splinter's eyes, previously unfocused on his mumbling, snapped to him. He looked Zach right in the eye, and the agony and trepidation in his eyes was overwhelming. With shaking hands, he reached into a bag slung over his waist. Zach's heart near stopped when he pulled out a bloody, broken arrow.

He was at a loss for words. He looked from the arrow, to Splinter's face. His lips moved, but only air escaped. Tears fell from the boy's face. Finally, he heaved a long sigh, finding the air to speak. Zach strained to hear the quite, nearly inaudible words of the panic-struck boy.

"Camden…is dead. No…he was murdered."


	4. Chapter 4

"Yup. He's dead." Zach concluded.

Splinter glared at him, and geeze…if looks could kill…"Did you think I was joking?" He all but yelled, "Pulling you're leg?"

"Well…sort of. I mean…dead? This is crazy!" he closed his eyes, and began to back up, "I have to tell someone…" He was reaching the door when Splinter jumped between him and the door.

"No!" His eyes were wild, "No one…no one can know! They'll think it's me." He whispered.

"Dude; someone's going to notice when he doesn't show up for class." Zach said logically, scoffing.

"Already fixed. Tomorrow he was going to get off the boat and visit his friend for a week or two, then they were going to drive down and drop him off at our next port." Splinter explained.

"Won't his friend get worried when he doesn't show?" Zach pointed out.

"Already emailed him and faked Camden, explaining he couldn't come. I thought this trough, Zach!" He growled.

"Yes, obviously!" Zach sang sarcastically, throwing his arms out, "Tell me this? What are you going to do with the rotting body, idiot? And when someone figures out he's not where you said he was?"

Splinter frowned, "I'm not sure." He admitted.

"That's it- I'm outta here." He rolled his eyes.

"Wait! You'll be a suspect now too!" Splinter yelled desperately.

"Why?" He asked, turning the knob.

"Because he dies one day after a story bashing you is printed. And then you're the one to tell Mr. Mosby. Tell me that doesn't sound a bit fishy." Splinter said. Zach's hand griped the door.

"Fine." He turned around, "But we have to plan this carefully. No one, but us, can know." He looked to see Camden's glassy eyes, "This…is unreal."

He felt sickened by the state of the body alone; the fact that this wasn't some TV show or joke made him feel even worse.

"Yeah. Sure, we didn't get along but…" He bit his lip; "You have to trust me with everything that I did not kill him."

"You wouldn't have. You…well, I just know you didn't." Splinter looked relieved.

"It's kinda late- you should be going. I'll…I figure something out to do with the body." He frowned.

"Yeah." Zach felt his legs become jelly, and took the three steps to the door. He opened it, and came face to face with the person he least expected to see. Bailey.

She stood here, her fist raised like she was about to rap on the door; utterly shocked he'd be the one to answer.

"Oh, sorry! If I'm interrupting…" She trailed off her eyes moving to Camden's body on the floor. Her eyes budged from her head, and she opened her mouth to scream and run.

Splinter and Zach were quicker. Thinking like one, Splinter grabbed her and pulled her in while Zach slapped a hand over her mouth. Splinter locked the door, and Bailey kicked against him.

She screamed through his mouth, biting his hand. Zach winched, but didn't let her go. Splinter helped guide her to the bed, where he gently touched her shoulder. She glared at him.

"Zach is going to take his hand off. Don't scream- we'll explain everything." He promised, "If you do scream…then I know how to knock you out with one touch. You wouldn't get far." He threatened. Bailey's eyes still glowed with defiance and hate.

"Now, can I take my hand away?" Zach asked. Bailey seemed indecisive, but then nodded. Cautiously, he pulled away his hand. She didn't scream.

Zach nursed his bleeding hand, while Bailey's mouth flapped like a fish as she tried to form words.

"Is he…" Her voice sounded hoarse.

"Yes. He's dead." Splinter frowned, "I didn't kill him, though."

"Then who did?" She looked at his body. It really was a mangled mess. He was bleeding all over, his fingernails were coated with blood, hair ripped from some places, his clothing half gone, and a toe was missing. Finally, the bottom shaft of the arrow was sticking from his neck. Whoever did this, had not done it cleanly. There was even bruises still forming around his neck and on his face.

"I don't' know." Splinter admitted, "I guess I owe you an explanation of how I found him."

Bailey snorted.

"I was coming back from the sky deck. I came into my room and noticed the door was unlocked. The room was a mess, blood all over. I thought…well, I'm not sure what I thought. I guess it didn't register that it was…b-bl-blood. I cleaned most of it up pretty well- and figured that Camden was out somewhere. Never would I have though…" He broke off, shuddering, "There was this…dripping noise. I first went to the bathroom and firmly turned the skin faucets off. I came back and the dripping continued. So I went and turned the shower knobs as well. But it still continued. That's when I realized…it came from Camden's closet. I…didn't know what to expect. Maybe a leak in the ceiling? A water bottle turned on its side?" His eyes grew wild like they had been when he'd knocked on Zach's door, relieving it again.

"And then?" Zach hadn't heard the story yet. He was shaking, and Bailey looked pale. Splinter looked close to barfing, and gulped thickly.

"I opened the closet door…and he was hanging there! An arrow through his neck, and tie as a noose. The dripping sound was his blood." He kicked the closet door open, the blood still pooled on the carpet, the tie still in the shape of a noose. "I will never un-see that."

Zach felt his world go black and caught himself before he passed out on the floor. Bailey held her mouth, her eyes wide.

"No!" Bailey looked freaked out.

"Yes."

"Is that when you came to my room?" Zach asked.

"Yes. I took him down, took the arrow, and ran. God- it was awful!" He looked close to crying, at the least he looked too freaked out to be standing still, and as Zach thought this, he pulled a chair to sit on because it seemed his legs would buckle.

"You need to get rid of that arrow. You have your fingerprints all over it now." Bailey whispered, shuddering. She sat on Camden's former bed, rubbing her temples and staring wide-eyed at the dead boy.

"What now?" Splinter whispered, as he broke the arrow into tiny shards, "What do we do with him?"

"I…don't know…" Zach ran his fingers though his hair, "Burn it? Dump it from the side of the ship? It's not something that's common knowledge!" he was yelling, "I'm…this is…a student has died. I mean, if I were his family, I'd want to burry him properly, but we can't do that now."

"SHHHHH! Do you want someone to hear us?" Bailey gnawed her lips, "I should go and tell Mr. Mosby. This is ridiculous! We could go to jail!" She wailed.

"Not if we're very careful." Zach said, collecting himself. Mind over matter- he didn't want to have to go to jail.

"Who do you think did this? It's obviously not suicide. Too messy." He mused out loud. Bailey looked green.

"I don't want to even think about it." Splinter shook his head frantically, "We have to…we gotta…oh, god-," He broke off and ran to his bathroom. There was the sound of retching, and Bailey and Zach just silently stared at the body.

"You can't tell, please Bailey. Everyone would think it's either Splinter or me. Please." He pleaded.

"I should tell. Why wouldn't I?" It sounded like she was talking to herself, "I don't know Splinter and I hate you so-,"

"You don't hate me." Zach scoffed, "You don't have the capacity to hate." He sighed. Bailey snapped her gaze on him.

"You don't know me Zach. I can hate." She said with deep emotion.

"Fine. You hate me. But we were friends at one point…remember that time. Please…for Cody if no one else!"

"Cody?" She asked.

"If I went to jail, he'd be devastated. I know he jokes about it, but if it really happened…he's too weak to deal without me. We both know it. You'd be plagued too, look into my eyes and tell me that I did it." He said firmly, and forced her to look at his face. She looked into his eyes, and she saw her resolve breaking.

"I…"

"You'd be killed inside knowing an innocent man was sent to prison. But I'm 18 now and they won't listen. They wouldn't believe a kid, a fuck-up, like me." He said dejectedly. Bailey licked her lips.

"We should look for clues." She whispered.

"Other than the body?" Splinter asked deadpanned, as he appeared from the sink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Something this messy, it couldn't have been done without leaving evidence." Bailey said logically, and began to poke around areas and after a moment the boys helped. Zach went to the door, and examined the handle. No signs of forced entry, Camden had obviously let his killer in without even knowing it. Or maybe they'd left the door open, and she'd been waiting. He tried to close his eyes and even imagine, but felt sick at the idea.

"Where did she just get an arrow?" Bailey asked as she balled the arrow bits into a trash bag, suddenly.

"That's my fault. I have a bow and quiver. I mean, for sports. They're not supposed to be sharp but I guess if you violently impaled someone with it then…" He big his lip hard.

"I found something." Bailey held up a ripped piece of fabric. Splinter took it from her hands.

"Damn, a generic color of blue in a generic cloth. This could be anyone's in the school. Anyone on the ship!" He moaned.

"No, look at this. See? There's the corner of an insignia for seven seas high that appears at the bottom of school polos." Bailey said, squinting.

"Oh, so good. We've narrowed it down to eight hundred. Peachy." Splinter was not pleased with this either.

"Seven hundred and ninety six." Zach corrected, "We didn't kill him, and he didn't kill himself." Splinter threw up his hands in exasperation and sat on his bed.

"I'm not sleeping in here tonight, unless that body is moved. Even then maybe not." Splinter said a few choice words and hit the wall hard.

"You can sleep in my room. I currently have no room-mate." Zach offered, and for a moment didn't even think how that would rev up the gossip about his supposed 'gay-lover' sharing a room. That was so far behind him in terms of realness that it seemed like years ago.

"We can't just leave the body in here. Someone is bound to find him. And now we have fingerprints all over him." Bailey said. The three sat in silence for a moment, and then Bailey's voice was soft, "Wrap him in a blanket and I'll take care of it. I…I know a way." She murmured, "Just don't ask questions. That way if this ever comes out, you can honestly say you didn't know. Ok?" She said. The boys looked at each other and passed a look of understanding to each other.

"So you never knew what happened to his body?" Mr. Oslak looked sick, and he looked at Zach with anger. Zach gave a tentative look around the courtroom to Camden's family, who most were sobbing at this news.

"No. I'm so sorry. I can't even tell you how sorry I am." He spoke to family, "But I already gave a small amount of ashes that Bailey had kept in a tin, but I know that can never suffice."

"He was murdered. And you are just as much a wrongdoer by staying quiet. Apart from this case, do you know how many other things I could persecute you for, because of how you handled the situation? You could go to jail for a very long time." There was absolute silence around the room, before Zach leapt from the chair.

"Do you think you would have believed me when I said it wasn't me? When I had my fingers on his skin and on the arrow? That my alibi was that I was alone in my room barfing and feeling sorry for myself, but no one was around me when Camden died? And it's not like we were prepared for this situation! I didn't know what to do! I was still a student!"

"Mr. Martin, please sit down!" The judge snapped, and Zach sat shakily, "Please refrain from outbursts."

"Would you have believed me?" He whispered quietly, daring the judge to say otherwise. She glanced at him with mighty eyes for a moment, and then titled her head.

"No. I would have declared you guilty."

That night, Bailey knocked on his door just once and he opened it immediately. Splinter was sleeping on his bed, his face twisted in pain and suffering. Whose wouldn't look like that after their roommate was killed? Bailey told Zach she'd wiped with floor down with bleach and that the blood was gone and the room was straightened.

"Thanks. And Camden?" He asked.

"I told you not to ask." Bailey frowned, "I was raised by a man who had a gun on his nightstand table and an older brother who insisted people were following him or the mafia was out to get him. There are a couple things I know that I'm not too proud of." She whispered so softly he hardly heard her.

Before he knew it, she was hugging him tight. He stiffened at the contact, and patted her back awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay…I mean…well…" He whispered, unsure how to comfort her.

"Sorry." She took a step back, "That was…awkward." She winced.

"Yeah." He nodded, and then she pointed back.

"I'm going now. I just…" She began to say something, but thought better at the last moment and scurried away.

"Me too." He whispered.

He went and sat at his desk, mindlessly surfing the Internet to get his mind of things. Twenty minuets later there was a knock on the door. Sighing he got up.

"Bailey, what is it? Did you-," He began to say as he opened the door and found a very surprised Maya standing at the entrance.

"Bailey?" He nose scrunched in confusion, "Why would she be here?" Zach knew he had to think fast.

"Oh, you know." He said vaguely, "I was trying to get her to help me with homework, because Cody's being an ass about me doing things myself. Whatever. She was here before curfew, and she erm…forgot her glasses."

"Bailey wears glasses?" Maya gave him a critical look.

Shit. Way to go, dude. "Yee…aaah." He said then more confidently, "Yep, sure does. Anyway what are you doing here?" He asked, swaying the conversation away from Bailey, the girl he was supposed to hate.

"Oh well, you seemed so depressed today, I thought that I don't know maybe we could…" She pressed herself against him sexily, and nodded toward the crack that his door was open.

"Oh? Oh…" Understanding dawned on his face, and he felt silly and like he was breaking some sort of law turning him down, "Well, Splinters in here. I mean, he's had a rough day too."

"Splinter." Maya repeated, "The kid that you're in gay love with is now in your room?" She hissed.

"It's not like that, c'mon you know I'm not gay! He just felt lonely."

"He has a roommate." Maya scoffed. Zach bit his lip. Had.

"Yeah, well, Camden's not really one to be talking tonight." Not a lie, "In fact, he was asleep and not the most comforting when Splinter came back to his room." Again, not really a lie. Maya shot him a look he couldn't place, and said.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. And we have this sort of friendship, so you know…" Zach shrugged, "So I love you babe, but just…not tonight. Okay?" Maya groaned and rolled her eyes. She gave Zach a quick peck.

"Goodnight, Martin." She said and sashayed away. Zach went back into his room and stared at Splinter's sleeping body.

"You owe me big time dude. If you knew what I just had to turn down for you." He sighed, shaking his head, and retreated to his own makeshift pillowcase on the floor, but sleep did not come easily that night.

Four weeks passed, and a week after Camden was supposed to return. With some ingenuity on the trio's part (Bailey, Zach, and Splinter) but they forged an email from his parents saying that they decided that Camden's education would best be continued at home. Then, taking a leaf from Ferris Buller's book, they wrote a fake phone number in the letter if Mosby wanted to reach them, and changed the records to say this was his honest to god phone number as well. Bailey played an excellent Mrs. Watson and nothing much was said about Camden after that.

Life progressed as normally as it could for Zach, Bailey, and Splinter. The first week and a half, the teasing about their gay love was unrelenting. Zach punched a kid in the face one day, and Splinter had to be restrained from dislocating a kid's shoulder. Of course this didn't help things much, especially after it seemed that the two were so close that Splinter was giving Cody a run for his money.

"Maybe if we embrace it, things will go away?" Splinter offered a solution after one frustrating day when Zach's locker had been painted in rainbow colors.

So they did. Every time someone laughed and jabbed them with mean remarks, they did their gosh darn best to pretend that they really were gay, but then Zach would usually turn right away and kiss Maya, making students at first confused, then wary, and then all together tired. It seemed to disappear, now that they were laughing with the students than being upset. Maya disapproved, but as long as she was still getting kissed and Splinter had moved back to his room, she couldn't argue much.

But there was one person who just wouldn't let it go. Gemma Bond. She continued to harass him, to the point that Zach was seriously considering hitting a girl. One day at lunch, there was a breaking point.

It wasn't like the words hadn't been said before, the taunts not laughed about, or the fingers not pointed. She wasn't creative, but she was determined. Woody, Addison, Maya, Cody, Bailey, and Splinter all sat together at a table enjoying their lunch when Gemma passed and made a comment when she saw Splinter and Zach trading lunches.

"Zach hates tuna. He grabbed the wrong one." Cody rolled his eyes, "Get a life, Bond."

"Really, this is getting irritating." Splinter agreed.

"Oh please. Did you kiss the sandwich before you gave it to him?" Gemma asked.

"Yes. He gave it a big fat slobbery French kiss imagining it was me and how much he can't wait until we can find an empty broom closet and get it on. Is that what you want to hear?" Zach replied, much in the same fashion he and Splinter had been replying to everything, "In fact, I'm disappointed he didn't jack off on it before he handed it to me so that I could taste him."

"You don't have to keep pretending, Zach. Let's just be honest that it's what you really wanted, right? Stop leading Maya on. Poor girl, right Maya?" She asked. Maya, who'd been catching up on her reading, jumped.

"Leave me out of this. I know he's not gay. That's so last week news." She grumbled.

"I think that you're just angry that your little plan with Camden backfired." Bailey interjected, "Right? And now you are alone to face the consequences of your stupidity."

"Splinter scared him away. I know he did. He wouldn't just disappear. He wouldn't just leave-,"

"You?" Cody finished, "I thought he was dating Kennedy? Why would he date you, or even think about you?"

"Or maybe she's mad that Maya didn't break up with Cody, because we all know she's wanted him since freshman year." Bailey mused out loud, as if Gemma wasn't standing pale-faced and gripping her lunch tray hard, looking at Zach.

"Yep, damn shame." Zach chuckled, gently taking Maya's hand. She gripped it protectively, glaring at Gemma.

She didn't know what to do. "Camden wouldn't have just left. What did you do?" She said, "Did you go back to the room and break his bones for what he did? I heard you say your revenge would be something you could be kicked out for. Such good timing, with his parents decided to take him away."

Splinter stiffened, the subject of his late roommate a touchy subject still, and her words close to the ugly truth. "I was just going to do something harmless, like, I don't know, burn his textbooks." He rolled his eyes, but there was fear behind them. Fear he'd be killed too.

"Gemma, do us a favor and leave our lunch in peace, please?" Maya asked. Gemma turned away sharply on her heel, and Zach scoffed.

"Good riddance, you little fucker." He muttered under his breath with an angered glance at Splinter, who shared a similar look at the girl.

"Who knew that Gemma Bond was such a bitch?" he agreed. Gemma must have heard because she, at the table over, set her food of her tray and came back and in between them slammed it hard against both their heads.

"My hand slipped. Oops." She said sickly sweet and walked away.

"Goddamn." Zach felt his head and his eyes widened when he touched a small cut on his temple, "That wicked girl."

"I seem to be unscathed." Splinter felt about his head, "Nasty temper. I understand why Camden didn't want her."

"Zach are you okay?" Maya fussed over him immediately, turning his head to see the damage.

"I'm fine-ow!" He began to say but her fingers brushed a tender spot.

"You need to go to the nurse." Maya said, licking a napkin and dabbing the blood.

"It's already stopping. Sides, I haven't eaten yet." He ate it like a wolf, and laughed when he got to the bottom, "Hey Splinter, good thing we traded, or else you'd be dead." He took out a slip of paper, and reminded himself that the children's game of assassin was still continuing. It was hard, when he knew deep in his heart, there was a real game going on the ship, one where you didn't just get eliminated from a prize, but from life. Splinter looked around to see which person was watching him and waiting for him to unknowing find it, and eyed Ling Panda. He waved to the Asian boy, who cussed.

"At least I know who to watch out for." He shrugged.

"At least you guys are still in the game." Woody said sadly, looking at his tacos with sadness.

"It was an accident. Anyone could have fallen for it." Cody tried to make his room-mate feel better at the fact he was killed by getting lured by free Mexican food. Really, only Woody would have fallen for it, but it was a rough subject. Everyone else at the table was still in the game. Reina, who was finishing a project, had been eliminated as well by water dart.

Cody was the best so far, much to Zach's annoyance, by already on his eighteenth target. But then again, Bailey, Zach, and Splinter's interest in the game had paled after…that night. Zach shuddered just thinking about it all.

"Well, I'm going to go and lay down for a bit. Maybe see the nurse." Zach stood up, stretching and wincing.

"I'm going back to the room. I'll walk with you." Bailey said, and Zach tried not to smile. The Kettlecorn girl was okay, he had realized.

"I'll come too." Maya offered immediately, but Zach pushed her back down.

"No, you just eat. Come by my room after you've finished eating. Okay?" Maya sighed, and stood to look at his head again, "I might have to talk to Gemma about this." She murmured to herself.

"Not even worth it, babe." Zach shook his head.

Maya looked torn, and glanced to where Gemma had her back turned eating slowly, "If you say so." She said slowly.

"I do. Now eat. I'm not going to die before lunch is over." He laughed and Bailey quivered too, but her laughter was forced. Maya grinned.

"Fine."

The walk back to their rooms was mostly silent, because every time he began to say something to Bailey, he lost his courage. Lately he was beginning to remember why he'd liked her in those first few days. She was strong, emotionally that was. She seemed to be handling it all just fine. Like a kid dying was nothing, she just continued on with life. Perhaps she wasn't as bad as he'd originally thought.

"She's just angry she can't have you." Bailey said suddenly.

"Gemma? Yeah, guess so. I mean, sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me?" He scratched his head sheepishly. Bailey's jaw twitched.

"It's okay, I know it hurts. I understand. Words do hurt." She bit her lip, "But it hardly matters anymore who had the camera, right?" She murmured. Zach gave a shuddering breath, because he wasn't sleeping right since it happened.

"No." He agreed. They had reached their rooms, or at least Bailey in hers.

"Well, good luck." She saluted him with two fingers, "You're next target is Godric, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's the one." He glanced at the crumpled sheet, passed down by who knows how many people, "That kid will be tough. But, I'm sure I can win." He let a little cockiness seep into his voice, the attitude he had before that night.

"Well, even so, good luck."

"Yeah, you too." He went back to his room for free period and decided to make a plan to get back into the game and stop worrying about Camden. Although it clearly wasn't an accident, the person who had killed him was most likely long gone or it was a revenge sort of thing now that it had been a whole moth. Yes, he needed to get back into life. He hadn't slept over with Maya in three weeks! It was painful, honestly.

But he just, in good conscience, couldn't. Not really. It felt a little wrong the first time since he'd invited her into his room for the night, after Mosby had passed. And he had gotten up fine, but had a nagging feeling about something wrong and she'd sensed it and they just slept curled up together. Whatever it was, it was very irritating and severely messing with his cycle.

He pushed it from his mind, and thought about Gemma. She was kind of sad, wasn't she? Not just pathetic sad as she was reduced to taunting him about something so…so…last month, but also really sad and depressed. He asked Sophia, her roommate about it the next day.

"I don't know. I guess, well, Camden was supposed to ask her to the end of the year dance." Sophia shrugged, softly as she found work on her pristine table, or rearranging pens in a line over and over, "She hasn't contacted him at all. He just…stopped talking to her. I mean, she's said she's been really sad before, but never depressed."

"Gemma could have gotten any guy she wanted," Zach scoffed, thinking of the slick personality and the way guys fawned over her.

"Not you. And not Camden." Sophia picked up her books, snatching her pens in one hand, "Now please, stop talking to me."

Zach watched her go, and sighed. Poor Gemma. Poor bitchy Gemma.

On Sunday, he and Splinter were returning from playing some hoops on the court so he could meet with his twin for a brotherly dinner with some studying. The halls were flooded with people, all students, who paced up and down.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Zach called out but no one answered. Splinter was shouldering his way through, frowning in deep thought.

"What the hell?" He asked a kid in their calc class.

"I'm trying to figure it out too! They've shut down the senior halls." He said.

"C'mon, I'm all sweaty and my money's in my room!" Zach complained, "This is BS." With force, he pushed his way into the area that was supposed to lead them to their room, but was shoved back by guards.

"Really, I'm a senior. I need to get to my room." Zach pulled out his student ID.

"I'm sorry, but no one can be let in yet." The officer said monotone, without looking down. Zach opened his mouth for a few choice words, but Splinter pulled him back.

"Didn't you say you know the air vent systems in the boat?" He asked, whispering in Zach's ear (which made a couple people half-heartedly joke about their gay love, but it was really no fun anymore).

Zach nodded, and the two left with little commotion and no one following.

He pried the air vents open, and squeezed in. He remembered it being a lot bigger a bit back, and so it was a bit of a workout to maneuver his body in. Once inside though, he felt like he was greeting an old friend as he crawled around.

"Okay, this one should lead us too our rooms-damn, looks like there's guards walking around. We may have to take a detour." He decided, turning sharply and leading him deep into the girl's rooms.

There was no one around when they pushed themselves out, heaving and sweating harder than before. At the end of the hall at the T, people were running around and he heard Mosby's voice commanding people and things. There was the sound of someone crying to Zach's left, away from where it seemed the problem was. Splinter took one look at Zach, and they both walked cautiously toward the sound.

Sophie had her knees pulled up to her face, and her heaves of sorrow echoed loudly. "Sophie?" Zach balanced carefully, leaning down. She looked up, her face wild and eyes filled with tears.

"What's going on? Why can't we be let into the halls?" Splinter pushed.

"G…G…Gemma." Sophie stuttered, "She…she…" Sophie began sobbing all over once again, leaving the two boys looking at each other.

"Should we check it out?" Splinter asked.

"Carefully, sneakily." Zach whispered back for Sophie's benefit.

They rounded to where the girl's rooms were, and noticed and saw it blocked off, but items were laying on a table. Farther down, they saw a white covered body, surrounded by people. Everyone seemed too busy to notice the two boys who slipped around.

"Gemma…killed herself." Splinter said, drawing Zach's attention to the suicide note, in which she explained how she had been unhappy for a long time, and Camden leaving was just the last straw.

"Oh god." Zach whispered, and spied the pill bottle with Sophia's name on the table next to the note.

"I don't think it was." Splinter was rapidly shaking his head.

"What?" Zach asked stupidly.

"Suicide." Splinter cast a sad gaze at the sheet over her body, "I won't believe it. She wasn't that sad."

"Dude, we didn't know. I mean, it's horrible but-,"

"Two deaths. Two. Even suicide. I just… I don't think it was." He walked toward the stateroom.

"What are you doing?" Zach furiously whispered.

"Clues!" Splinter replied back. Zach shook his head; this kid was more reckless than he was. He entered the room and at once a funny feeling came over him.

"What?" Splinter noticed in the middle of searching the ground.

"I feel like I've smelled this scent before." Zach scratched his head.

"Spilled perfume? Hardly evidence, since it seems to be her own, it's not that strong, but strong enough that it's on her bed and stuff. Like she was laying here." He dismissed.

"I dunno. Smells like a girly scent Cody would pick out. I just feel like I know it from somewhere else."

Splinter shot Zach a funny look, and his face shifted.

"You do, huh?"

"What?" Zach asked. Splinter picked up a strand of fabric on the floor, and examined it.

"I just, want to figure this out." He tucked the strand into his pocket, "I know I will."


	5. Chapter 5

Splinter was resilient.

"It wasn't a suicide!" He insisted firmly, "I refuse to believe it!" Sophie heard him once, she wore black most days now, and shook her head.

"I know, I knew her best. But she really was unhappy, Splinter. And it wouldn't be nice to imagine this wasn't her fault, because that means someone killed her, but that's just too much to hope for. She was so broken…and I didn't notice." She said. Splinter grabbed her shoulders.

"No. Listen to me. I swear." He insisted, "It wasn't her fault!" He said, shaking. Sophie tensely picked his hands off of her.

"Oh, and you know why?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. Splinter faltered, and Zach and Bailey saw the whole idea running through his mind. Zach gave a shake of his head. Don't do it. She'll tell.

"I just…have a gut feeling." He finished lamely, and his shoulders sagged. Sophie's lips puckered like she'd just had lemon juice.

"Really now?" She huffed, walking away, "Don't mock her passing. Ass."

She stomped away, and Zach came up beside his recent best friend.

"Why would you go and say something stupid like that?" He growled, "No one will believe it wasn't her own suicide except us." He looked back at Bailey.

"I just…I need to know I'm not crazy." Splinter moaned into his hands, and his fingers pulled at the roots of his hair, "I think I'm going mad."

"Are you okay?" Bailey stood up from where she was reading hard, or attempting so, "You look really…sick."

"Yeah dude." Zack frowned, "The ghost still keeping you up?" Splinter's head snapped up, and he turned pale.

"What? When did I tell you about that?" He hissed in a low voice. Bailey and Zach exchanged looks.

"Tell me what? Splinter, really…" He said uneasily.

"About the….wait what were you referring to?" He asked.

"Ghost? You know, that it seems like he's there even though he's not. We cleaned up the blood and all, but to still know that it was there…how can you even open your closet?" Zack mused. Splinter looked half-relieved, half-disappointed.

"Oh. Yeah. It's sleep depravation." He said hastily, shaking his head, "Just making me think crazy things."

"Splinter, you feel really warm. I think you need to see the doctor." She insisted. Splinter jerked away.

"No. I'm fine. I swear. Just a little…never mind." He sighed.

"Dude. You can tell us anything. I think we've passed the barrier of being discreet." He rolled his eyes, and Splinter's wince made him wish he could take it back.

Splinter gave him a pained look, and his whole body seemed to shudder. He then angrily shook his head, and began to storm off. Bailey held Zack back. "Let him go. Maybe he has demons worse than ours?" She suggested.

"What is there possibly to tell us that would shock us more than a dead body in a closet?" He asked, throwing his hands up. Bailey looked around, worrying someone had been near.

"I-," She began, but there was a half-strangled cry from where Splinter had turned the corner. Bailey leapt up and gasped.

"Oh no!" Zack's worst fear was that Splinter's paranoia about his being next (Since he was the roommate of Camden) hadn't been all crazy talk at all. He was there a moment behind Bailey. But Splinter didn't look dead…he just looked like he had passed out.

"He's passed out." Bailey said, looking up. Zack gave an inward grin; he felt very proud of himself for deducing as much, "Why are you smiling, Zack?" Bailey huffed. Okay, so not as inward as he thought.

"I figured out he had passed out before he said it." Saying it out loud made him feel very stupid. Bailey gave him a wild look.

"We need to get him to the nurse. I think he hasn't been sleeping or eating right." She shook her head sadly.

"He screamed though!" Zack pointed out. Bailey looked around.

"There's no one here now. No wounds anywhere. And if anything is wrong, the doctor can help." She said firmly. Together, the two hoisted Splinter up and carried him the, thankfully, short distance to the infirmary.

Zack let Bailey talk. She was much better at calmly and rather scientifically shooting the doctor a couple ideas. He was already nodding in agreement.

"Tell you what, he needs some sleep. I'll let you know when he wakes up. Right away." He promised, even going as far as putting Zack's number into his phone.

Zach walked away, hands in pockets and worry floating through his head. What had he been so afraid of that he fainted? Splinter was the type of guy who (before the whole…'incident') would have gone to the scariest movies out there and considered them a comedy. He's the kind of guy who would have pointed out to a guy with a gun in his face pointers about mugging. Splinter was for sure not someone to scar easily.

Bailey paused in the hall back to the study cove. "What?" Zack asked.

"I guess I was thinking it through. I don't know…did Splinter scare easily?" She asked. Zack beamed in triumph. So it wasn't just him!

"No." Zack shook his head, "There was something there!"

"Do we know if he's afraid of anything?" Bailey asked, all detective and fact mode. Zack scoffed.

"If he is, he surly hasn't told me." He shrugged, "I mean…except Camden's undead body. But that would scare anyone in his position." He brushed it away, "Maybe it was an even bigger kid." His old self began to peek through- the side that thought everything to be fun and games and all. Bailey rolled her eyes.

"Zack." She punched him lightly, "Be real."

"Maybe he saw Bigfoot."

"On the ship?" She pointed out. Zack gave a helpless look.

"C'mon, even mythical beats gotta go on vacation as well!" He pointed out. Bailey scoffed.

"Sure." She said, and gathered her books, then frowned, "I'm really worried about Splinter." She admitted. She looked so downfallen, so small, "What if…what if he is next. He's my friend now."

"Bailey…" Zack said uneasily, a soft tone. He gulped. Bailey looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Damn. He'd never been good around crying girls. Usually he just passionately kissed them. That made them not sad.

Could his kiss Bailey though? Hell no. Would he? Well…

He felt like slapping himself. This was his brother's girlfriend, and he hated her. He kept telling himself lies like that. She was still nearly crying. Crap.

"Hey." He said, taking the books from her arms, "Don't…cry." He said weakly. Bailey blubbered a bit, and clearly that hadn't been something to say. He awkwardly gave her a hug, or at least it was awkward at first. Then her small arms wrapped around him, and he relaxed. He uncertainly touched her head, patting her like a pet, shushing her. She just broke down in his arms. Defiantly now the intended reaction.

"Bailey…has Cody ever shown you the secret room?" He asked.

"Secret…room?" She echoed, "The Harry Potter one?"

"Do you want to go there? Less people to hear you cry. It's right there." He motioned with his head to only a couple doors down. Bailey attempted to pull herself together, then nodded.

"Yeah. Yes." She agreed, and slouched against Zack. He hoped no would see them go down there together. He kicked the door with his foot because he was holding Bailey a little still and they descended the steps. At the bottom, Bailey reached into the pool and rubbed some water over her face, blotting away the redness of he eyes. Then went back by Zach, who was sitting against a wall, and leaned against him.

"I'm done crying now, I think." She said soon. Zach moved his arm, which happened to be most comfortable if he set it around her. She looked at it, then nodded, saying it was okay. Maybe she just needed to feel secure.

"Thanks for telling me." He said, slightly deadpanned, but gave her a tiny smile.

"Oh, I feel like an idiot. Crying about this in front of you." She muttered, looking down.

"Bailey…I'm afraid too. I'm afraid for others I care about. No one else knows there's a killer out there." He said.

"You're afraid for Cody." She said, "I am too."

"Not just Cody!" Zack shook his head, "Woody, Splinter, London, Addison, Marcus, Reina, you-," He listed.

"Me?" She sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, we're friends now…aren't we?" He asked. She was as rigid as a statue, but then relaxed back against him, "I guess so." Then she giggled.

"What?" He asked, frowning.

"I thought Maya would be at the top of the list." Zach winced internally. How could have he forgotten his own girlfriend? He lied easily.

"She I worry about most," Because he did worry about her a lot. He knew he would be devastated if she died. His heart clenched painfully. Bailey's face was unreadable.

"Of course." She agreed, but it was far-away.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and she shivered against him.

"Cody is always supposed to comfort me and all, but I can't tell him any of this. Too much of a goody two-shoes. And instead, it's you that I have to confide in."

"Have to?" Zack didn't understand why that offended him so much, "I see."

"No!" Bailey looked up, shaking her head, "I mean, if I really wanted to I could talk to Splinter too. I mean, I choose to talk to you. I could talk to no one. It's just…we really didn't like each other before."

"I know." Zack agreed, "But now…" He stumbled off, catching himself from saying something stupid.

"I know." She said, and he didn't see it coming when she took his hand. He let it go, because, she was warm and it didn't feel wrong holding her. His body spoke for words he wouldn't let himself say. Actions he didn't really know he was doing, because Zack wasn't…cute with people. Yet, he shifted so that he was leaning into her as well, and set his forehead on her head. Zach may have been imaging it, but it seemed colder, so he pulled her a little closer. She let out a happy sigh and then squeaked.

"Holy hail bails! It's been an hour! I need to study for my science test tomorrow." She said, standing up.

"And I have lots of nothing to do." He agreed jokingly, and Bailey shot him a look of laughter and just shook her head. Something had changed between them. It was undeniable and Zack felt empty when she had gotten up. They both walked up the stairs, and found the door open.

"Zack! You left the door open!" She sighed, "That's why it was cold." She gave him a hard look, "Can you be any more irresponsible."

"Hey! I closed it!" Zack bristled.

"Did you see it close?" She asked briskly.

"I closed it with my foot. Yeah, it closed." He grumbled sourly.

"Sure. You say that, but how many times have you raided Cody's mini fridge, closed it with your foot and then it re-opened or didn't close at all?" She questioned, and Zack's face grew red.

"That was only three times." He mumbled.

"And then I had to sit there and hear Cody complain and sob about his spoiled cottage cheese and melted science experiment." She finished, "Good thing most students assume this to be a broom closet or something."

They parted their separate ways, and Zack tried to get her out of his head. Dinner came next, and when they sat next to each other, it was like a shock of electricity ran through them. Gosh, that sounded cheesy. He forced himself to ignore her and focus on Maya. In the middle of dinner, his phone buzzed. Splinter was awake. By now, everyone knew of his 'slip'. They invited the others to come, but in the end it was only Bailey and Zack that either wanted to or were able to visit. He wasn't sure how being alone with her was going to pan out.

She seemed uneasy about it too, which made him feel relieved. He didn't have to explain that he didn't know what made him do what he did and that she was nice and all but-

But what? There was nothing there. Nothing at all.

"He was really sick." The doctor confirmed, "I'd say he hasn't had more than a meal a day and eight hours of sleep over the last week. We're going to keep him here another day and make sure he gets the sleep and meals he needs. Can I trust you two to make sure of it after that?" He asked. Bailey and Zack agreed.

Splinter was as itchy as a rabbit. But he relaxed when the two of them came and visited. He gulped.

"Splinter! I was so worried!" Bailey said, "You scared us!"

"I know." He said, "I haven't really had friends that ever cared before." He twiddled his thumbs, "They can promise whatever, but it's all shit. No amount of pills will keep me asleep." He said with a rough, saddened tone.

"Nightmares?" Bailey whispered. He nodded.

"Guys…I…" He looked uneasy, "I feel I need to tell you, or else I'll go insane. Please, don't laugh…and please believe me. I've been seeing things." He said. Zack and Bailey exchanged looks.

"What sorts of things?" She asked, leaning in closer. Splinter closed his eyes, and opened his mouth. When he opened his eyes though, they went wide with terror and he gave a little shriek of fear and pushed himself back as far as he could on the hospital bed.

"Him." He whispered hoarsely, eyes still wide with terror at something behind both of them. That's when Zack felt it- a unnerving feeling creeping up the back of his neck. Like a chill had whooshed through the room, or someone was watching him. All this fired in a millisecond in his mind, and without thinking, he swung his head around.

"Holy shit!" He stumbled back into some noisy equipment. Bailey covered her mouth to keep from screaming.

"You two see it too?" Splinter asked, looking between them, as if that was a comforting thought. No! It just meant they were all crazy together!

"G…gh…ghost." Bailey whispered, shaking so hard that Zack thought she'd hurt herself.

"Wait! Wait a second!" Zack had known at this part, there would be…problems.

"I'm telling you the whole story. Start to finish. Nothing left out. That's what you wanted, right?" He asked sourly.

"You can't be serious. Or your friend was being…overdramatic, correct? So that we all know?" Mr. Oslak said, turning to him, daring him to say anything else. Zack wasn't afraid; not like he'd been that day.

"No. She was right. Ghost. Half-invisible dead spirit." He clarified.

Mr. Oslak looked sour. "It was a trick of the mind, though?"

"I wish it was. Sir, I don't mean to interrupt or sound…well crazy, but that's not the only one in my story." He sighed.

"Do you think this is a joke?" He descended on Zack with a terrible force, "Are you being funny?"

"No. I swear to god, shoot me dead right now if I'm not, I am telling the truth." Zack insisted.

"Was it all in your head?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

"Honestly?" Zack asked, and Mr. Oslak nodded. Zack was quiet. He looked to his side, to something he knew none of them could see. And then he smiled.

"I hope not."

"No way." Zack hissed to himself, "No…no…no."

"You see it too!" Splinter was in a state of bliss, but one glance made him look sick again, and he quieted.

It was Camden, floating there. Zack could see through his shadowy figure, to the horrible wallpaper that was supposed to calm people, but really made Zack want to tear it down in a rage. He looked like he did more than a month ago, but almost more dead. His face was really pale, eyes slightly sunken. He had red lines on his neck from where the noose was, and the hole still bleeding slightly where the arrow was jabbed. The ghost blood dripped down, and when it hit the floor evaporated into nothing. His clothes and hair were in disarray, and one of his toes was savagely missing. He looked thinner than Zack remembered too.

"C…Camden?" Bailey whispered, bending forward. He gave a smile, but it was eerie as Zack could see the blood on his teeth, "is that you?" Camden nodded.

"You've been seeing this for a week? No wonder you can't sleep!" Zack turned to Splinter, "Is he…violent?" Zack whispered. Splinter gulped.

"No…he's just always there…watching…I can hear his blood dripping at night." He whispered, turning away.

Zack turned back to the ghost. He tisked, "Camden, I gotta tell you. That's really, really creepy."

Camden shot him a look, as if to say 'do you think I want to look like this?'

"Camden, please…can you tell us who killed you? Speak please!" She went up to him, so that the end of her sleeve was nearly touching his translucent figure. He opened his mouth helplessly, then shook his head, indicating to his hole in his throat.

"I don't think he can talk, Bailes." Zack ventured forward slowly. Camden nodded.

"Oh…" Bailey looked disappointed, "Well, can you tell us who did it?" He once again shook his head, but made the motion this time of putting on a cap and then pulling it over his head.

"Ski mask? Zack guessed and once again he was correct.

"That's okay. We're looking for him." Bailey assured, and reached out as if to touch his arm, but then drew back. Camden noticed it and gave a long sigh, frowning deeply, "But…have you seen any other ghosts?" She asked hopefully. Zack knew whom she was referring to.

Camden shrugged, and made a motion to indicate 'a few' the best he could. Bailey's eyes sparkled with hope. He already saw her thinking. If they could find Gemma, maybe she'd know who killed her. Or, she could clarify that she killed herself. Whatever was the truth?

"Then you've seen Gemma?" Camden's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He shot Splinter a glare that made it very clear he had no idea she had died.

Splinter narrowed his eyes, and gave a raspy noise. "Suicide." He used the appropriate finger bunnies surrounding his response. Camden was shaking his head wildly, and looked at Bailey. He gave a little grunt.

"It wasn't suicide?" Camden shook his head firmly. The look in his eyes was heartbroken. Maybe he had cared for her, on some scale. He started floating to a wall.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Bailey asked, following the ghost. Camden turned, and his eyes softened. He took a finger and drew with ghost blood on the wall. 'Finding Gemma'. Then, the ghost blood vanished, and he sailed through the wall. Splinter let out a loud, out of place laugh.

"He does that you see! Fucking disappears! Sometimes just evaporates into air. And then he re-pops up you know, just standing over my bed. The prick!" he was getting more worked up by the second, and let out a 'arg' of deep frustration.

The doctor stormed in. "I hope these two haven't upset you, we don't need you getting worked up!" He said sharply, looking at Zack in particular.

"Oh, no sorry. I got a paper cut." Splinter said convincingly, holding up a book that neither had realized he had before, and sucked his index finger. The doctor didn't look convinced, "It's really deep."

"Right." The doctor gave a humm, "That won't need a bandage, I hope you know. Even so, perhaps it's best you have some…quiet time." It was his subtle way of kicking the pair out. Zach was more than happy to leave. Even though he realized Camden meant no harm, he sure as hell didn't want to be around when he popped back up again.

Luckily, he only saw passing glances of Camden around Splinter, who was released two days later. Camden just silently followed, and he said he couldn't find Gemma. The sadness of his failed mission seemed heavy on his shoulders. He disappeared sometimes, and didn't show up for a while, and always tried to stay a little bit away from the three, but it seemed like he was bound somewhat to Splinter.

"I've played enough video games, and I think I got it." Zack declared, "He's waiting for you to avenge his death!"

"Likely." Splinter agreed, and nothing was said much about the subject after.

The trio was walking around the student hallways. Bailey was going because she was going on a date with Cody, Zack because he had a bone to pick with Cody (about the very clear lack of a paper from his brother that he had lost a bet and promised to do) and had previously been hanging out with Bailey and Splinter, and Splinter because he no longer liked being alone, which Bailey and Zach understood.

As they approached Cody's door, a female figure exited. Bailey ground her teeth angrily. "Reina?" She asked. Woody was with his family, so there was no way she was there for the large boy. Reina jumped, as if not expecting them there. It was a defensive jump, one that Zack knew well after sneaking around with girls. His heart went out to Bailey.

"Oh, hi, Bailey." Her voice was reasonably steady.

"So…uh…what were you doing in Cody's room?" Bailey tried to sound casual, but the accusation seeped into her voice.

"It sounds silly, but he was mending some clothes of mine." She said. Bailey rolled her eyes.

"Sure." She said. Reina turned red.

"No! Really!" She dropped her bag and pulled out a wad of clothing, "Cody's the best and he wasn't going to do it, but I really needed this stuff fixed. I have a job interview tonight, and these are my only fancy pants. You can't even see the tear anymore." She pointed to a nearly invisible seam that had been made on the crouch.

"And this bra, ugg, so embarrassing to bring it to him, but I mean it's my favorite. And this top-now that we're in such warm weather, it was the only short-sleeve blue one I had. I wasn't going to fix it, but blue is totally the in color." She rambled on. Behind them, Splinter had taken in a sharp gust of breath. She looked behind them.

"Whatta you staring at, creep?" She scowled. Zack was frozen too, looking at the garment in her hand. It was a blue Seven Seas High shirt of the same material that they had found. And it looked like the piece of evidence that Splinter no doubt had in his back pocket would have fit perfectly into the spot Cody had so carefully mended.

Reina looked at all of them, "Bailey?"

"It's fine. I uh…believe you. Sorry about that." She said. Reina gave them all a strange look, then packed up her things and left with an uneasy goodbye. Zack immediately pulled them into his room across the way.

"Reina is hiding something." He said in a big wave.

"No shit." Splinter barked out.

"She's sneaking around with Cody." He said. He didn't know why he said it, when it would only hurt Bailey. But she had to know, otherwise it would hurt more later. He didn't want her to hurt. Both of them were looking at him like he'd sprouted another head, "Look. I know that look. Maybe she was having him fix clothes, but something else is totally up."

"Yes. That she's the killer!" Splinter burst out. Zach thought about it.

"Yeah, that too." He agreed.

"Now let's not be hasty…" Bailey looked shaken.

"That was more than clear proof, Bailey. I can't…I never thought she'd be…violent…" Splinter murmured.

"Me neither." Zack agreed, but deep down, he was positive he was right about her and Cody as well. He looked at Bailey, who was staring down at the floor.

"But why?" Bailey asked, "Why kill Camden, and maybe Gemma?"

"I'm not sure. We gotta figure out her motives before we say anything. I'm sure they're hidden very well. She was so good at pretending to cry about Gemma too!" He said venomously.

"More detective work then." Zack agreed. Bailey still seemed unsure.

"If we get proper proof…" She murmured.

"What more do you need than this?" Splinter waved around the fabric, "I'm taking a piss." He announced and lumbered over to the bathroom.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Cody about my paper." Zack said, "Are you coming Bailey?"

"No...yes…I don't know. Maybe you are right…I need to think…" She said, and turned away. Damn. It had hurt her, "I refuse to believe it, though." She insisted, voice quivering.

"Okay." Zack blinked, but knew that it was more herself she was trying to convince.

Two days later, Bailey agreed to go undercover to see if she could pry anything from Reina. There was a baking contest for a huge scholarship to any school of the winner's choice, or automatic admission to a fancy-dancy cooking school. Bailey knew her skills in the kitchen were a little above average, but she was positive she would not win. She honestly, even if she was going out with Cody secretly, hoped Reina would win. The girl had a skill for culinary food.

Reina looked upset she was there. "Bailey?"

"Oh, I don't think I'll win. It will just be for fun." She assured, hoping that she'd be lucky enough to sit near Reina, who liked to talk while cooking.

As luck would have it, they were closely spaced to each other. Once the competition started, with the four-course meal vague food guidelines on the board, Reina was in no mood to talk and even unusually snappy about it.

The first course was an appetizer that just had to have fish and raspberries in it. Bailey's dish was last, and Reina scoffed at her time. Bailey took no offence- she had thought the competition would be much more relaxed. The second dish was a slightly smaller food item, with similar open-ended food instructions. For the main course, they were to make a dish that represented them. Bailey knew exactly what to make- an old family recipe. Dessert was a anything goes, so another old family recipe was taken from the depths of her memory. She felt good about the last two, but knew she had botched the first two, so therefore felt good about it all when she left.

She'd had fun, hadn't she? But she hadn't talked to Reina at all. Reina who shot her deadly looks the whole time.

The next morning, the start to her day would have been a whole lot better without a slap in the face. Literally. From Reina. Oh no…

"You have to be the best at everything, don't you!" She cried, her mascara streaking down her face and lipstick smeared, "Why couldn't you let me have this one thing!"

"I can't cook!" Bailey blubbered, "I didn't mean to-,"

"Save it! Save it you little bitch! I thought we were friends. This was the one thing that I've ever wanted in my life, but you don't get anything for nearly making it." She shoved a crumpled paper into Bailey's chest and shoved her back.

Bailey looked. How the tornado with a flying house had she gotten first place. Underneath the judge had praised her for her innovation and comfort food like cooking, showing true character. Reina had gotten second. If Bailey had never entered, even for fun, Reina would have won.

"Reina…I never meant to…" She whispered, looking up at her friend.

"Sure. Sure you didn't! You're such a fucking know-it-all, Bailey! You couldn't handle rejection if it hit you in the face! Miss Little Perfect Suck-Up. Little Miss 'I'm from Kansas poor me'. I'm sick and tired of it!" Reina stomped her heels and left, leaving Bailey with a tear-stained paper still clenched in her fingers. Bailey could never have imagined how deeply words could hurt someone.

From across the room, Zack saw the whole affair. He frowned deeply, his chest burning for Bailey. He wanted to go up and stop her crying like he had before, but everyone was here now. They would wonder. Cody beat him to it. He saw her go over, and she pushed him away. She said something angrily, and Cody looked stricken. Then he chased her and pulled her into a kiss, and said something in her ear. She collapsed in his arms.

"Zack?" Maya asked, and he turned, "You…okay?" She followed his gaze, confused, "You look upset, babe."

"I'm upset for Reina." He really was, but that wasn't even a quarter of his current pain, "She really…really wanted it. Bailey was just doing it for fun." Maya gently rubbed his shoulders.

"Reina is understandably angry. She'll come around. It think. Looks like Cody and Bailey made up. Good, right?" She prompted.

"Huh?" He asked absently.

"Aren't you happy for them?" He turned to Maya and smiled.

"Of course I am. I mean, I may dislike Bailey, but I'm happy for my brother." He lied. Maya giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, come on. You don't hate her. I love Bailey. She's a great girl." She nudged him, "For your brother at least." Zack gave a long sigh.

"Fine, fine. Maybe she's not as bad as I thought."

"Aw, now that wasn't so hard to admit…was it?" She asked.

For the rest of the day, Zack walked around feeling like someone had cut his chest open and taken his heart and then smashed it into a pulp and put it back. Why did their kissing and handholding hurt him so much? Why did he want to go and grab Bailey away? She looked happy again…sort of. There were these faraway looks where he perked up, hoping she'd glance his way. But she didn't.

That night, he lay in bed, tossing and turning. Then he figured it out. He liked her. No! It was more than that…he'd fallen for her. Fuck. He fought with himself about it. It was only when dawn was peeking through the shutters that he had fallen asleep when he made a promise to himself. He had to tell her how he felt when he awoke again. That soothed him to sleep, and in that moment, he knew that it was all going to be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

He woke and threw on some clothes with vigor. "I have to tell Bailey." He muttered to himself. He closed his eyes, and his heart thudded. He had never imagined feeling this way about anyone. Once he thought he knew what love was- with Maddie- but he was all too young. If she had been here, perhaps it would have evolved but usually Maddie was half-way around the world.

He used to hate Bailey, he thought as he walked down the halls on the bright Sunday morning. They were nearing the Caribbean, and therefore the air was moist and warm and everyone was enjoying it.

Bailey was not in her room. London was no help, as she was still snoring and it seemed like her bed had been made recently. She left the diva snoring in her satin sheets and next went to Cody. Cody was vacant as well, and he feared they were together.

He pushed it aside; he could wait telling her. Telling her now vs. later wouldn't really change anything. He stumbled around the sky deck a bit before deciding to take a run. He went down to one of the running decks and was surprised to come across Splinter in a little alcove.

"Splint?" He asked, pausing. Then he noticed there was a little table, cards in Splinter's hands, and a quiet game between he and…Camden…who was also holding cards.

"Oh! Zack. Thank god it's not someone else." Splinter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cards?" Zack asked. Splinter shrugged.

"To pass the time, I suppose until I'm bored." He said, and lay down a card on the table.

"Camden can hold them?" Zack asked, squinting at the ghost. Splinter looked at him too.

"Seemingly becomes more…touchable and less ghost-like around me. Can hold things and all. I don't stretch my brain about it too much." He said with a shrug. Zack thought that was a fair answer.

"So you two are friends then, now?" Zack half-teased. Camden and Splinter looked at each other through narrowed eyes. Camden began shaking his head.

"No." Splinter said bitterly, "I suppose we're an unlikely and unfortunate pair until death does the other part." Zack scoffed.

"How poetic." He rolled his eyes.

"Camden saw Gemma." Splinter said suddenly, and Zack became rapt with attention.

"Huh?"

"Yeah." Splinter nodded, "But she was…faraway. Yeah, that's how he wrote it out to me. Looked pale, and ran when she saw him. Looked sick."

"When was that?" Zack questioned.

"Oh, about three or so hours ago." Splinter ran a long hand down his face, "She's most certainly here." He meant on the ship.

"Do you think she attached to Sophie?" Zack questioned. Splinter sighed.

"At this point, it's all so regular I haven't really given a rat's ass. You're more than welcome to ask the awkward question though." Zack thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, I think I will." He agreed. Splinter studied his new friend.

"You seem bright and cheery."

"I do?" Zack tried to cover the sunlight that apparently was just oozing from him, "How strange." Camden gave a grunt, as if disbelieving him, and rolled his eyes.

"Camden doesn't believe that bullshit either." Splinter translated. Zack pulled a face.

"I'm fine…I just…I don't know…" Splinter and Camden both looked at him deadpanned, "I'm going to see if I can track down Sophie now." He said.

He exited quickly, and was glad neither of them said anything about Bailey. He would have been gone then; totally transparent.

Sophie was doing what Sophie did; reading. She was rather hard to find, most likely that she didn't want to be found. She looked up at the approach of footsteps.

"Oh brother." She said, and began to get up to leave.

"No! Wait, can we talk?" He asked. She was more than wary.

"About what?"

"Just…how are you?" He asked, easing between the soles of his feet. She narrowed her eyes even more.

"Fine." Her voice was clipped, "Great conversation, now if you please excuse me-," Zack grabbed her arm as she passed.

"Hey, look." He said, "Have you…seen anything…odd?" He asked.

"Uh…you're talking to me. That's odd." She pushed up her glasses.

"No. Like have you received any signs from Gemma?" He asked, and realized why Splinter didn't want to ask. Sophie looked at him like he had sprouted another head.

"You're crazy." She muttered, "Wherever Gemma is it's sure as not a place she could reach me."

"Are you sure about that?" Zack asked, and she twisted her arm from his grasp.

"Yeah. Now, please Zack. Leave." She looked pained.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked in frustration.

"I don't hate you." Sophie winced, running her fingers through her hair, "I just…well don't like some of things you did."

"Huh?"

"Okay, look. Gemma was very unhappy. But it wasn't just about Camden. Not completely, but that did hurt. I mean, I've tried contacting him a ton, but it's like he just…died. Or something. Shit, okay, I shouldn't joke about that." She winced, as if her thoughts were now coming from her lips like a waterfall, "Anyway after she died, call me disrespectful, but I looked through her diary. I didn't want to believe it. But I thought if I had more proof that she was thinking about it, then…I'd know for sure."

"And?"

"She thought about you a lot, Zack. She was really…infatuated with you. And hell, you flirt with so many girls you probably don't remember a damn thing but back when she first came, she was so quiet. And you brought her out of that. And then just stopped talking to her. You also told her something about that you would take her to an American Prom, and she held onto that for so long…and then you started dating Maya. And when was the last time you really talked to Gemma?" She asked. Zack stayed silent.

"It was unhealthy. In all. I suppose you weren't like sexual with her or anything and left her, or something worse, it may have been a passing comment but you probably don't even remember. It's silly to hold onto such things, but she talked about how she felt unloved because you would rather be gay then talk to her again. She wasn't…right?" She asked, "Do you understand."

"She actually thought I was gay? And avoiding her?" Zack asked, shocked.

"Like I said." Sophie looked fragile, scared.

"Was there any talk of suicide? Ever?" He whispered. Sophie looked at him, and her whole face contorted. Then, she just broke down.

"Not once. Ever." She confirmed, "Not even on the night before her final day. I…I refuse to believe that she…she…"

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Or agree with Splinter?"

"Who would believe me?" Sophie cried, "I'm only 17, just a kid distraught over the death of my best friend! And no one wants to start a murder investigation, do they? I thought it better to keep quite…because well…maybe I'm wrong." She whispered.

"I don't think so." Zack said bluntly, "I don't think for a second she killed herself."

Sophie was silent.

"What if I told you…she's back…as a ghost?" Sophie seemed to find this comical, and guffawed between tears.

"Like Casper the friendly ghost?" She teased.

"Sorta." He said, "What would you say?"

"I'd say that's too much to hope for, to see her again." She said, and rubbed her eyes, "I guess I don't hate you Zack, it's just I feel so alone. I didn't really think Splinter thought that, I just thought…well, I suppose I don't know how I thought." She concluded after a moment.

"I'll leave you to your book now," Zack was careful not to say 'alone'. She looked relieved.

"Thank you. And Zack? If you see Gemma," She gave a tiny smile, "Tell her Mama Bear would really like to hug her just one more time."

"I will." Zack said confidently.

On the sky deck to get a smoothie, he ran into the one person he didn't want to see; Maya.

"Hi babe!" She greeted gleefully, and leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips, and squeezed his arm, "How are you?"

"I'm good." Zack said, feeling awful. They needed to talk. They really needed to talk.

"Hey, can we talk?" She took the words right out of his mouth.

"Yes! Of course!" Maybe he said that a little too happily, but Maya didn't seem to notice. She sat up on the bench, and swung her legs around.

"So…tonight…I'm going to have to cancel." She said. Zack was confused.

"What?"

"Oh, babe! I'm sorry! I know you had this planned months ago!" She said. Zack searched in the back of his mind for a dinner…dinner…ah. Damn. Today was Maya's birthday. He had a nice dinner reservation for them, one that was real expensive nice stuff. He couldn't break up with her on her birthday…could he?

He frowned; he used to think she was the one. He was- what was the world Sophie had used- infatuated with the idea of her. And once, he would have been really upset by this and all. Now…well, it was better than he could have imaged. He didn't want to spend the night with her, he wanted to spend it with Bailey.

Yes; he would tell Maya tomorrow, so not to upset her on her birthday. Besides, he wanted to be sure Bailey felt the same.

"Look, Zack. I'll make it up to you. I'm so sorry." She said, and he shook his head.

"I-," He stared, about to say he wasn't mad.

"Look, a couple of the girls made me promise I'd see a movie with them in port tonight; it's one of my favorite books made into a movie. Valisa planned it all, I love her. They bought tickets for me and everything. I told them about this but they said you'd understand how badly I've been waiting to see this."

"No, no, it's fine." Zack said, "Well…do something else later." He lied.

"Thanks for being soooo understanding. Those dinner seats weren't…paid for already?" She asked with a wince.

"Oh, it wasn't too much money." Zack lied.

"You can take your brother with you! Nice brother bonding!" She suggested.

"Maybe I'll just give 'em to him and he can take whoever." Zack shrugged, not thinking about the obvious lady his brother would take. But Zach didn't want to dress up all fancy tonight.

"I don't know." Maya winced, "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" Zack asked. Maya shook her head.

"Oh, maybe I heard a rumor wrong. Yeah, maybe Cody would enjoy them. But I really think you should take him; when's the last time you two were brothers?" She concluded.

"True. Maybe…I'll think about it."

She leaned up and gave Zack another kiss, "Do you mind if I go and study for biology tomorrow?" She asked, "If you want to do something now then-,"

"No, no." Zack said, "Go and study." Maya looked at him oddly.

"Wow, first time I think that's ever come out of your mouth." She commented.

"I just want what's best for you." Zack said, shrugging. Maya's smile was wide.

"That's so sweet!" She sighed, "I love you Zack." She said, and looked at him expectantly. Zack gave it a moment.

"I love you too." It was such an automatic phrase, and devoid of real emotion. Maya didn't seem to notice at all. She walked away, hips swaying and all, and Zack didn't look like usual. He felt utterly detached from her, and couldn't have been more pleased with the way it seemed the universe wanted him to get with Bailey.

He didn't find her all day, but wasn't really worried. He did other things; productive things. He gave himself a haircut, wrote a paper that was due six months ago and turned it in, hung out with Woody and caused trouble and pranks on Mr. Mosby, took a little nap, rearranged his closest by most awesome to most likely mother bought, and then finally snuck into to the kitchen and tried to make cupcakes. For Maya; he still found her to be a friend, and it was her birthday, and he sorta dropped the ball on any present what so ever for her.

He ran into Reina, who fumed at the state of the kitchen. "Just like you." She said bitterly.

"Look, I'll clean it up." He said, "Look! Cupcakes!" He said.

"Oh, how nice." He set them down and went for a rag.

"C'mon, don't be such a bitch, Reina." He said rolling his eyes, "You need to get a boyfriend or something."

"Maybe I already have one, did you ever think?" She asked, frowning deeply and stomping her foot.

"Really?" Zack was genuinely surprised, "Who?" Her face shifted rapidly and she huffed.

"Never mind. I never said anything." She said hastily, and snatched the messy pan from the hands of Zack. He jolted back in surprise. The thought she was seeing his brother was even more believable now. Why else would she be so jumpy? He knew it.

"So are you doing anything tonight?" He asked.

"Ugg, what an ass. What would Maya say if she knew I was the one that you tried to replace her with?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zack questioned.

"The spot at the Neptune." She said like it was so obvious. Zack realized how he must have sounded, and backtracked.

"No. I was just asking…if you were doing anything…with that someone special…I'm actually giving the tickets to Cody." He said, seeing if she'd react. She jumped a bit.

"Oh. Well, if you're talking about the lame movie that all the girls are going to, I said I'd pass." She said bitterly, and finished cleaning, "Leave my kitchen."

"Fine, fine." He said, and then frowned, "I don't know if Cody and Bailey will want the tickets though." He said, as if just musing out loud. Reina's face contorted with unbridled anger. She threw down a pan and it dented on the floor with an echoing clang. It was a powerful throw.

"He dosen't deserve a little cheating bitch like her!" She said, and Zack feared that maybe she liked him and she knew but this thought also made him happy.

"Ch…chea…cheating?" He sputtered, as if shocked.

"Yeah, cheating." Reina muttered, "I just want to ugg! Rip her little blond hair out sometimes!"

Okay, Zack decided then and there. Reina was psychopathic.

He retreated swiftly, and left her to her anger. She kicked a door, and he waited for her to leave. When she did, he tailed her…back to what looked like the route to Cody's room. He couldn't have been sure, because Addison stopped him.

"Hi!" She said, "So I totally forgot a birthday present for Maya and I don't know what to get her but you must know her well so I thought 'hmm, Zack will know what she wants and-," She began her usual rambling. Zack stopped her.

"Look, Addison, I have-,"

"Oh? Somewhere to be? I see! I guess that you must be getting everything ready for a nice romantic gift giving. Or I heard you turned in a paper. Turning over a new leaf? That's really cool!" She started spewing again, and Zack gave an aggravated groan.

By the time he got rid of Addison, Reina was gone. He knocked on his brother's door but no answer. Duh, why would his brother answer if he was secretly with another girl?

Dusk descended soon, and he realized he really hadn't seen Bailey all day. It sort of worried him. What if she hurt? What if she was in danger? What if- he was being silly. She most likely just went with Maya to that movie, or down into town as it was. She often said how she loved the boat, but got a feeling of confinement after long durations at sea. They hadn't seen land for nearly two weeks, so it was understandable.

After a bit, realizing that his reservation was upcoming that night in about four hours or so, maybe he should tell his brother he could have them…and take Reina or something.

He knocked on his brother's door at about five. "Come in." Cody called. Or he could always take Woody, Zack thought with a chuckle.

His brother was just sitting on his bed, with a bad look on his face.

"So…I have these tickets for the Neptune tonight and…Maya's gone so…"

"I'm not in the mood." Cody snapped angrily.

"Woah. You alright there?" Zack asked.

"No. Not at all. Bailey and I had a huge fight!" He said, standing and began to pace rapidly.

"Oh?" Zack asked, and his whole body relaxed. He loved his brother immensely, and was sure he loved Bailey too. But these were too extremes he didn't want to have to make a choice about at all, and so this was really seeming to be his night.

"She accused me of seeing Reina behind her back. Me? Cheating? Unbelievable! I asked what about her and Splinter?" He said angrily, and Zack frowned.

"Splinter?"

"Yeah! Those two have been like inseparable! And she accuses me of being unfaithful!" He kicked a garbage can, then looked at Zack, "You're best friends with him now too, aren't you? Well?"

"Well what?" Zack asked, feeling suddenly bad about this whole thing.

"Are they seeing each other?"

"I…I…" Zack sputtered, "No of course not!"

"Are you sure?"

"Completely positive!" Zack confirmed very aggressively. Those two? No way in hell.

"Oh." Cody deflated, "Damn, maybe I…overreacted. But it hurt. Me and Reina?" He sighed. Zack had to ask. But then he thought better of it. He really didn't want to hear his brother lie about Reina- he knew.

"When did you last talk?" He asked, sitting on his brother's bed.

"I don't know. Two hours ago. She left me." He growled.

"She didn't go offshore?" Zack was surprised.

"No." Cody replied shrugging, "What the hell do I care now, though?"

"Do you know where she went?" He asked. Cody gave his brother a weird look.

"Why do you care?" He asked.

"Oh, no reason. She just was supposed to meet me before my dinner to teach me something I will never understand, but maybe it's better if I don't track her down. Then I can play some video games." He shrugged.

"Whatever. Said something about the bath room." Cody grumbled, "What time is your reservation for?" He asked.

"Nine."

"Maybe…it would be nice to detox with a fancy dinner. I'll take London or something. Maybe Addison or Reina or Woody."

"I thought Reina would be the first name…" Zack muttered. Cody looked up, shocked.

"What?" He asked, "Did you say something about Reina?" He looked confused.

"Oh, Reina just seems sad. A fancy cuisine would be right up her alley." He pointed out. Cody seemed to agree, but said he wasn't sure who he would take yet. Zack was out of there as quick as he could, and to the bath room.

He was worried. People, when angry, did stupid things. And he just wanted to hold her and see that she was alright. He didn't think she'd drop herself of the ship, but they'd perhaps seen what extreme emotions were have said to have done to Gemma.

The door was partially ajar, not enough for the average person to notice. But Zack did. He climbed the steps.

"Bailey?" He asked, and there was no answer. It was really cold for them to be in the tropics. His heart clenched painfully. He reached the room and saw it light up, but no Bailey.

He began to really worry, but didn't quite understand why. He turned in a full circle, and saw something in a corner…unmoving.

"Bailey?" He cried, his heart thudding faster than it ever had before. He felt sick, if something had happened to her- but then she moved and he was so overjoyed. He ran to her, and she was freezing and soaking wet.

"Oh, Bailey!" He said. He didn't know what urged him next, but he grabbed her face and kissed her so hard that he saw stars. This was what heaven on earth was.

When he pulled back, she her face glistened with tears.

"Bailey, oh, Bailey. I don't know what happened to me…but Bailey, I gotta tell you I can be so much better than Cody is to you and-," She stopped him but hugging him hard, still crying.

"Cody told me about the fight. You don't deserve a guy like him. Don't cry, Bailey, it will be all right. I wouldn't ever cheat on you. I'm telling Maya tomorrow I can't be with her. I think she's over me too, so it's alright. Bailey, c'mon talk to me." He urged. That's when he noticed she was still shivering, even though he'd had his arms around her for a good couple minutes.

"Bailey, you're freezing." He looked around for a towel, and say one discarded by the pool, "Hang on." He said, starting to stand.

"No! Zack." Bailey said, her voice hoarse, and grabbed his arm. Zack laughed.

"Babe, you'll get sick. Don't be silly." He said, walking over to the edge of the pool.

"Zack, please, you don't want to-," She started crying again, and Zack was leaning over to pick up the towel.

"Geeze, Bailey, I don't see what so…"

There was something there, floating in the pool. When he realized what it was, everything went black.

When he woke up, his heart felt like it had a heart attack, and he knew what the phrase 'scared half to death' meant. He picked himself up, and forced himself to look around. There was Bailey, at his side, tears dripping onto his face.

He looked over, despite her protests and saw what he thought he'd seen in the water. A body, floating there. The whole bath was tainted pink with blood that came from a deep cut on the back of the head, and the body was face down. If they hadn't bleed out, they had surly drowned. But it wasn't just anyone in that water dead.

It was Bailey.

But Bailey was right here, touching his arm. But when he looked at her, she shimmered a bit.

"Oh God." He spat out, feeling about ready to barf, "You're-,"

"Dead." She whispered with a mournful nod.

"Did you see who-,"

"No. I was just sitting here, angry and crying about Cody and well, I was thinking of you the last I remember and then someone came up and hit me over the head. It hurt a ton, and I began to feel faint…I don't think I passed out in the water, but felt someone pushing me. I never saw who it was."

"Oh god." Zack repeated, unable to make a response other than those two words. His whole world had been just snatched from his hands, beaten with a baseball bat, ripped apart, and then handed back to him wet and mangled. Tears sprung to his face too.

"I should have found you sooner today. Then you wouldn't have fought…and then you wouldn't have…have died." He said, blaming himself, and blubbering like a baby. Bailey lay her head on his shoulder.

"I wish I had known. I thought you would never like someone like me…you and Maya just…fit." She sighed. Her bottom lip quivered. He leaned against the nearest wall, and motioned to her.

"Come here." He murmured. She crawled over to him, and he pulled her up like a child onto his lap. Her head rested on his chest, and she just cried.

He cried too, fat tears leaking down on her every wet body. He just stared out across, sometimes letting his eyes wander to where her real corporal body was.

Reina did it; he was sure. She killed Bailey so she could be with Cody. It all made so much sense. Oh, he'd rip her limb from limb and-

"What now?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"I don't know." He sighed. They stayed like that for a long time more, until it was really dark outside and the ship started moving again. There was nothing more to say. Words were not needed, not in the way she held him and at one point leaned up and kissed him.

"Why couldn't I have done that on earth?" She questioned painfully, and Zack shook his head.

"You're mine, now, Bailey." He assured, "Living or dead, like this, I still will love you." He said.

"Stop being unrealistic. I'm gone, Zack. I shouldn't even be here like this."

"Shut up, Bailey," He murmured with love, pressing his lips against her forehead, "Don't make this harder than it already is."

Soon, Bailey got up and walked over to where her towel was, and picked spotted something. She called Zack over, and pointed to one of her hands. He felt sick as he lifted the pale limb of the girl standing next to him, but there was writing. It was in blood red sharpie.

"Pretty Bailey's out of the game. Signed, the better assassin." He read, and felt enraged, "That game is so…how dare they? Who do they think they are!"

"The better assassin. I don't know what that means though. I sure have hell would have never thought of killing anyone. I mean, I was pretty far in the game but…it's just a game!"

"Someone doesn't think so." Zack dropped the hand, "I think…we can't let this go by. I need to tell Cody at least. And you deserve a proper burial."

"Zach, why do I deserve one when I disposed of Camden the way I did? I'm a horrible person and I can't forgive myself for that. I am glad that I protected Splinter- he's one of the best friends I've ever had."

"It's personal now. These deaths. They…they won't get away with it!" He said. Bailey sighed.

"They already have."

Bailey didn't want to leave the room, she decided to stay there. He ran to Splinter's room first, and knocked on the door violently. He could hardly see, tears were running so thickly down his lashes. Splinter opened the door.

"What happened to Bailey?" He asked, his face filling with fear.

"How did you…" Zack blubbered.

"Camden," He replied, "Is very perceptive. I mean, what else can you do than some epic people watching when you're dead?" He asked.

"She's dead too."

Splinter just sorta collapsed against the door frame, and a ripple of shock passed through is body, "No." He said, shaking his head.

"What happened?" There was a female voice, and Sophie appeared. She saw Zack, and at first didn't register, "You were right. She's here…and it was…suicide. But she regretted it at the last moment. But she said she can't stay around, like Camden and- oh my god, you're crying."

"Someone killed Bailey." Splinter whispered hoarsely, "She was here telling me about Gemma and she can see Camden too."

"Bailey's a ghost now, but…I didn't…" Zack felt his legs turn to jelly, and couldn't have moved if he wanted to. He agony he felt was unbearable. Sophie and Splinter supported him before he buckled.

"Where is she? Her body?" Splinter whispered.

"The bath room." Zack said, "I gotta…tell Cody." He murmured.

"I'll take you over there." Sophie offered, "Splinter, she was your friend. You should go down there."

Splinter nodded, and looked at Zack. He hugged his friend, "This is too much, Zack. We need to tell someone. She deserves a proper burial."

"I know. She does." Zack agreed. Sophie maneuvered Zack to the Neptune, where his brother was still eating. At first, the maitre d wasn't going to let him in, but there was such a desperation in his voice that he was let in. Cody was blissfully enjoying his meal, when Zack appeared.

"Come with me." He said. Cody looked confused. Woody was all smiles.

"Can I come too?" Woody had been friends with Bailey, so Zack nodded too. Bailey deserved people to know.

Cody was relentless with his questions, and even more so when he saw Sophie's solemn face at the entrance, and even more than that when they approached the bath room.

"Zack, dude. I have a bad feeling. What happened? What's wrong? Zack, please!"

"I went looking for Bailey." He said hollowly.

"Did you find her? Please say you found her." Cody was frantic, "I didn't mean the things I said. I was angry, and upset. I…I…"

"I found her." Zack said, and Cody looked relieved. He wished that his brother didn't have to see what was coming.

At first, Cody didn't understand. Zack knew that he didn't see Bailey, because he looked right through her ghost, as did Woody, who realized it first, and promptly ran off somewhere to barf, leaving the twins alone.

"I found her. Like this. A couple minuets ago." He lied, because Cody didn't need to know that they'd spent hours together, in silence.

"No. No. No." Cody said firmly, "She can't be…I didn't…"

"She's dead, Cody. She was killed." The mournful cry that came from his brother's strangled lips was the most sorrowful thing Zack had ever heard. He showed him the writing on the hand.

"What the hell? It's only a game? And this game isn't about-," He started, but Zack cut him off angrily.

"The game is called death Cody!" He yelled, "Oh, it seems like a perfect place for a murder!" Cody whimpered, in shock.

"Yeah, maybe, but why would anyone want to kill her?" He asked, eyes rimmed with tears. Oh, maybe Reina did so those two could be happily together, Zack thought. His voice became hard with anger.

"I don't know, why dontcha spill those pesky secrets? You and Reina?" He asked, and Cody jumped around.

"Only when you tell yours Zack. There's more here than what you're telling me!" There could be no more confrontation as Splinter and Woody and Sophie came down. More students followed, either hearing about it from someone or hearing Cody's painful cry before. The commotion grew exponentially. Maya appeared, pushing people away.

Two of their classmates had already pulled Bailey from the water, turning her blue face upwards. It was painful.

"No!" Maya cried, and tried to do mouth to mouth, "Please, oh god Bailey, no!"

"Maya!" Zack grabbed her away, "It's no use…she's been dead at least half an hour." He whispered. Maya just broke down sobbing, like many others. Everyone's eyes were on the dead Bailey and no one by Sophie and Splinter saw the ghost of Bailey hanging to Zack's arms. When Camden floated in- no Gemma to be seen- he hugged her and they stayed like that, floating for a moment. He couldn't talk, but Zack saw his lips move.

'I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this. I forgive you. I forgive you." Bailey understood, and let out a little sob as she touched his neck.

Soon, Mr. Mosby appeared, angrily shoving students aside, telling everyone that they needed to get back to bed until he saw what everyone was circling. Zack had never seen Mr. Mosby cry before.

"Three deaths…and now someone knows." Mr. Oslak mused.

"Well, at this point it was two deaths and a suicide." Zack reminded him. Mr. Oslak looked at him.

"Did you really love her?"

"I guess I'll never know." Zack sank low in his chair, and felt tears prickle at the back of his eyes and shook his head, "I never meant to offend or hurt anyone. Especially not Cody- he's my twin and I love him more than I knew I loved Bailey. I thought things were over…but…well we don't really know that either."

The whole room turned and looked at Cody, who was holding hands with a familiar face and frowned, "I forgive him." He said, swallowing, "I forgave him and Bailey a long time ago."


	7. Chapter 7

Zack stared at the water, still tinted red with blood. It was unfathomable that someone had killed her. It wasn't right- they couldn't…he couldn't..

He felt a gentle touch to his arm, and was tempted to let his face fall into the shoulder until he realized that it wasn't Bailey's ghost, but Maya. Still, she was terrified, and they were some of the last here, refusing to leave.

Bailey had been their friend. For Zack? Oh so much more.

"Sleep. You all need sleep." Mr. Mosby was trying to insist to Cody, who was just staring blankly at the spot where they'd hauled her away.

"I can't. I can't." He shook his head vigorously, "Don't you understand? She was mine! And I was hers…" Zack frowned deeply, and his eyes shifted to find the floating face in the cloud. Bailey, her ghost, was sitting on the far side, head in her hands while a fellow ghost, Camden, rubbed her arms.

It sparked a little jealously in his heart, but he understood that those two were on a different plane of being now, and not to get between a much needed understanding and friendship. Mosby was still trying to urge them away.

"Then go and sit in your rooms. Try at least. Classes are cancelled for tomorrow and we'll be stopping in Florida in two weeks, to give her parents the body." Mosby said, "Now come all." He said, and pushed the group of teens outside. Bailey looked over at him, gave him a sad smile, and motioned for him to go. He had no doubt she'd be there later.

In his room alone, Zack broke down. He had never cried so hard in his life, and the emptiness of his dorm room seemed to reach on for miles. There was no one here, no one but him. His hands were shaking and his body quaked with heavy tremors. Was this what a broken heart felt like? Was this what it meant to lose someone?

If he stood quietly, he could hear his twin on the other side of the hall, quietly blubbering into his pillow. In fact, he was certain any walk down the hall would be filled with sorrow. People had liked Bailey. She had been…good. She was kind, and smart, and funny. She was going to do something with her life, get out of the social norms and be someone. Her name was going to be in magazines or billboards or in Forbes. She was going to help those in need, she was going to solve world hunger and bring world peace. That was she was going to do.

If she hadn't died.

It wasn't fair; she was most deserving of life, and yet he was the one left with a cold bed and icy bones that couldn't have moved him from his bed at all.

There was a pressure to his left, and since his door had not been opened, it was undoubtedly Bailey.

"It's not fair." He growled, rubbing the backs of his eyes, and blinking away the tears.

"Nothing's fair." She murmured.

"I should have died, if anyone. My own brother thinks he'll be bailing me out of jail one day, and I'll just waste my life away. But you…you…" He became choked up again, and Bailey used her thumb to wipe away a lone tear-drop.

"Oh…" She just sighed, and Zack dropped back onto his bed, and pulled her close. He inhailed her hair, and wished that it wasn't only her appiration that he was feeling.

"Cody's devastated." Bailey said mournfully.

"He realized he really loved you." Zack replied stiffly, "Too late."

"I still love a part of him. I feel bad being here now, though." She admitted, "But he doesn't see me…and he wouldn't understand. He's logical…ghosts are not logical."

"I wish you could be mine." Zack said, overwhelmed by the emotions he felt for the small girl.

"I wish that too."

There was a buzz from his phone across the room, and grudgingly he got up, wondering if it was his brother, who need someone to talk to.

It was Maya.

On my way over. I'm not being alone 2nite.

Zack must have pulled a face because Bailey wandered over, and asked what's wrong.

"I can't. I have to tell her that I need to be alone. That sounds reasonable, right?" His fingers were about to type a reply, when Bailey stopped him.

"No. Zack, she's still alive. I'm not. Take care of her first…I'm beyond help." She insisted.

"But…but…"

"She's still your girlfriend. I died on her birthday…don't make it worse by breaking up with her." She pointed out.

"God, Bailey." Zack leaned into her, resting his forhead on hers, "What do I do after? When I want to be with you?"

"Zack…I'm dead. What do you really expect to happen with us? What happens if I one day just…poof?"

"I don't know, but I do know that I don't care. I feel like this is my second chance to have you." He insisted.

"Stay with Maya." Bailey said, "Besides, Camden offered to show me all the perks of being dead." She paused, "If that isn't a contradiction in itself."

But she didn't go off with Camden. She floated next door to where Cody was. Cody sat in his room with all the lights off, crying on his bed. His fingers fisted in his hair, the palms of his hands burying deep into his eyes to hide his face as his elbows rested on his knees. This was the look of a broken man.

Bailey sat directly across from him, and watched the tear drops pitter patter to the floor. She didn't know where Woody was, but she was glad it was anywhere but here. She reached out to touch him, but her fingers fell through his arms, reminding her of the wall between them.

"Oh Cody. Once I really loved you. I still love you, just not…anymore." She whispered.

She swam in those early days on the ship, when she had been sure that they were going to get married, go to Harvard or Yale, graduate and have awesome world-changing jobs and produce the smartest kids of the age. She was convinced Cody was hers. He was the sort of quite sentimental guy that was the exact opposite of Moose, the only man she'd ever known. He cooked, he cleaned, he cared about things that guys didn't care about and Bailey was enamored.

Maybe she didn't mean to fight with him like she did. Maybe she had left too quickly, and they could have been great together. Lord knows she wouldn't have died had she not fought with him and been in that place at that time.

Or would she? She liked to imagine that perhaps she was just another victim, randomly chosen. Yet, that was hard to imagine that on some level, the was just another person. Everyone had some connection, but she just couldn't figure it out yet. But if she didn't soon, it may be Cody or Zack next. Either was too heartbreaking to imagine.

Zach was a different kind of love. He showed her that there wasn't just two guys- the Mooses and the Cody's. There were the tortured ones that wore masks, that really did care but only to a few. He was loyal and cunning and made her laugh more than Cody ever did. And it had come out of something so horrible- someone's death, but over the past few months she had fallen inexplicably in love with Zachary Martin in a way she could have never loved Cody. Now that she thought about it, her whole prior imagination with Cody was deeply flawed.

She had seen the likes of her and Cody together, two utterly similar people, and all they did was fight so why would they be any different? Why would they, of all people, make it while countless others had not?

Maybe that's why Cody couldn't see her. She didn't believe in him anymore like she did with Zack. But oh, did she ever wish she could. She wanted to provide her once lover with the final goodbye that he never got. To sooth his soul.

Now that she thought about it, he would live forever knowing he never apologized to her. The guilt would eat him away, and Bailey felt her whole body convulse. What a horrible way to live, in guilt and shame everyday.

She did the one thing she could. Went back to Zack's room, where she was solid (the lights were off here too and Maya was wrapped around Zack in his bed. She felt no jealousy, she knew he loved her) and write 'I forgive you' on a post it note. With great effort she used everything she could to stay corporal and stick it in the bedside table of Cody's room. She hoped he would find it and assume she'd left it there after their fight, and that he would understand.

It had been a stupid fight to begin with anyway.

The note jolted in front of her face scared her more than a voice speaking in the darkness.

Sitting here won't reverse time or make him see you.

She turned around to see Camden, who gave her a sad smile.

"I know. I just wanted to be with him, even if he'll never know. Once I made him a promise that I would always be with him. If I can't with love anymore, I hope he knows in this spirit I still am." The words sounded foolish to her ears, but she just let them all spill out. His smile turned sympathetic, but he led her away because this place was like poison to her.

He took her to Splinter's room, where Splinter and Sophie waited.

"Bailey! I'd say I was glad to see you here…but I'd be lying." He whispered.

"The amount of ghosts on the ship is growing." Sophie whispered sullenly, bowing her head.

"Where was she Camden? With Zack?"

Cody.

Splinter's eyebrows raised in surprise, but Bailey shook her head. "He can't…see me." Saying it out loud solidified her previous thought that they were not meant to end up together.

"Oh." Splinter said, relaxing a bit, "I am sorry." He murmured.

"It's okay…I had just hoped…" She sighed, "Never mind."

"What is the whole who can see ghost criteria?" Sophie wondered out loud, "I would imagine with the connection you two had, Cody should have been able to see you. That's what I thought it was, right- the strength of a connection. I mean, I loved Gemma like a sister and Splinter hated Camden with a ton of passion…"

Her words did make a good point.

"And how to ghosts connect to people. If it was the strength, then shouldn't Gemma be with you?"

"Yeah, I know I was the last one to see her alive. I thought maybe it was the first one to find them, and I was also the first one to find her, but yet…well I've only seen her once. I feel like she'd avoiding me." Sophie frowned, "Maybe she thinks I'm mad at her for…killing herself."

"We know it's not that." Splinter patted her shoulders, "Whoever killed her killed Camden and Bailey now too. It's a serial killer."

"But what's the motive?" Bailey asked, "I think it's fair to want to know why I was killed!" She objected loudly. Camden nodded in vigorous agreement.

Splinter sighed.

"I don't know." He murmured, "I wish I had answers and trust me, it's killing me- wait, bad word choice- really bugging me that I'm alive and I can't figure it out." He looked out of the porthole and frowned deeply.

"It could be anyone, and anyone could be killed." Sophie whispered the words that Splinter refused to say, and Splinter hung his head in sorrow.

The next morning, the class gathered in the auditorium where Mr. Mosby wrung his hands as he stood at the podium.

"If you haven't already guessed, the game of assassin is done. We will attempt to continue with the school year the best we can as exams are still approaching, and put some normality back into your lives. Bailey Pickett's funeral will be off ship the next time we dock, if anyone would like to attend." He said, and his hands shook.

Everyone knew that he found Bailey to be special, along with her friends. Perhaps to him, it was like loosing a daughter. If only he knew that there were two others that suffered the same fate she did, but for now, those were lost souls.

Zack did not see Bailey all day.

He figured she was trying to let him be with Maya in how he had to be, and to not make him too sad by watching her float around a foot above the ground.

In reality, it made things difficult. He wanted to end things with Maya, but she was a wreck. Maybe her and Bailey had only been friends through the shared title of a Martin Significant Other, but he never knew she cared this much.

And he couldn't say that he needed to be alone, because alone was the last thing he needed to be, because he feared the growing darkness within him to break free of his good sense lest he be left to his own devices.

Already, when he went to the bathroom he noted the sharp edge of the razor just within his reach, and left abruptly without ever actually going because that was just one moment, and a few more could be deadly.

He didn't even know if he'd come back as a ghost, yet so far it was 3 for 3 on this ship.

At around lunch time, it seemed all the students on board all meandered toward the same place. No one wanted to be alone, but at the same time, no one wanted to admit they were frightened. It just got real. It wasn't squirt guns with red paint in it anymore, it wasn't little humorous notes underneath sandwiches, or quickly thrown wet socks through the halls, a girl had drowned violently. A kind girl that most of them had known. And it made people wonder…what did Bailey Pickett do that they didn't know about to get her killed? Was it that she was a nice girl and good girls always die first? Or was she doing something secretly that no one knew about.

It made Zack sickened. Bailey was pure. She was like a magical goddess capable of doing no wrong. How dare they insult her like that? How dare they question her, spew lies about her and degrade her name before she's even cold in the ground? It made Zack hate his schoolmates.

It seemed to anger Maya, who listened intently, although her face stayed impassive. Zack knew she wouldn't have been listening unless she found it disturbing as well.

"Don't listen to them. Bailey was good. They don't know her like us." Zack said with comfort, placing a hand over hers. She jumped and looked at him, eyes wild and wide. She paused, as if digesting.

"Yes, I know."

She was jumpy today, although Zack saw nothing out of the ordinary for such an event. Hell, he was jumpy too! Everyone was on their toes.

Maya jerked again when her name was called across the table where a group of girls were sitting. She kissed Zack on the cheek, and excused herself quietly. Zack understood. He shouldn't push her to stay, not when he was trying to slowly distance himself. Also, these were her friends. And everyone needed their friends now.

Speaking of, Splinter, Cody, Woody, London, and Addison sat with him. It had been ages since the group of them, minus Splinter, were all sitting with each other. There was an empty space though.

"It should be Bailey." London said, "She was…my only friend." She admitted, and Zack felt no offence taken. He loved London like a sister, but it was exhausting to be her best friend.

"Although she was obsessed with something in the final days. She kept writing in this journal, over and over. She had a lot of those stupid mystery who dun it books with her. It was weird." She went on, "Maybe-," London suddenly feel silent, "Never mind. Of course she wouldn't have."

Splinter and Zack locked eyes. Maybe she had been killed because she knew something. Something that could be important.

"Can we see that notebook, London?" Zack asked, "I'm just curious." Cody gave him a strange look, and he sighed, "Fine you wanna know the truth? She was helping me with my English final, which was a mystery book. I mean, not to be rude, but I do want to see those notes."

"Could you be any more insensitive?" Cody thundered suddenly, rocketing over the table, "She's been dead less than a day an you're worried about her not being able to help you with school?" He asked, venom seeping into every word.

"Dude, I need to pass!" Zack knew he sounded like the biggest asshole of the whole class, but he needed to see those notes.

Cody huffed and sputtered, unable to form words, and London cut in nervously.

"It seemed like she was putting a lot of effort into those, Cody. Maybe she'd want Zack to have them?" She offered. For once in her life, London actually made a point that made Cody stop and stare at her. Something clicked within him, and he sat back down.

"Right, right. I'm sorry, bro. I'm just so…so…" He stared at his hands, "I thought I saw her in my room last night. All last night. Like a ghost. But I'm just tired and angry and depressed."

Addison gave a little cooing noise and patted Cody on the back. "It's going to get better." She promised, rubbing circles with her thumb. Cody, bent his head, and used his arms to shield his face. London picked up her bagel, and stood.

"We may as well look now." She shrugged, "I have a manicure for the funeral soon."

Zack heard a snippet of the girl's table conversation. They were all crying with a whole truck-load of tissue boxes between them.

"It's all my fault!" Kennedy was crying, which caused Zack to slow down to hear the rest of her explanation, "I was the one who took that damn picture at the games so long ago. I had sent it to Gemma between girls, just for fun! And I cheated on Splinter with Camden and now he's vanished! His family hasn't heard from him and he's not here and I think the same person that killed Bailey got to him too!" She cried, "I'm so afraid." She said weakly, and all the girls rushed to comfort her.

Zack gnawed on her words while she walked. It had begun with the photo. Of him and Splinter. And hateful words that clearly showed that teenagers believed anything that was written alongside pictures of Kim Kardashian. He'd heard all about the night Camden was killed and leading up to it. How Camden and Splinter had got in a little discussion about Kennedy's rendezvous and the next day Camden had been killed…it was all fitting together now that she said that. Things were stringing up like Christmas lights, although not all the bulbs were lit.

There were still things Zack didn't understand.

He also worried about Kennedy going to Mosby, or Camden's family. Bailey had never told them what happened to Camden exactly, so he wasn't sure how good her tracks were covered. Then he realized they would lead back to a dead girl, and that didn't make him feel any better.

The door was already open to their room when Zack arrived.

"London, do you always keep this open?" He asked warily.

"Mhh, the door? Yeah, you see I lost my key and it's a lot easier to never close it than go down to the desk and get another." She said.

"Don't you worry about people stealing things?" Splinter frowned.

"What the heck would they want to steal of Bailey's? And my clothes? So yesterday anyway." She shrugged nonchalantly.

She sighed, putting her hands on her hips and shrugged, "I don't know where the notebook was. I don't really care either. I'm going to go to my manicure now." She said, grabbing her purse as she left.

Splinter and Cody looked at each other.

"Backpack?" Splinter gave an educated guess, and picked up her satchel bag. While he was rummaging through her bag, Zack went and sat on her bed. It was a little creepy, but he took her pillow and inhaled deeply. So what if she was still a ghost, she was right…one day she may just…poof. And gone.

He wished he could linger in her smell forever, rustic and earthy but yet still feminine. He sighed contently, and for a horribly teenager boy moment, wondered if anyone would notice if he took one of her pant-no!

"Zack, if you're done getting high on her pillows, I may have found it." He said, pulling out an untitled notebook that for the first couple pages were blank. Then, it was a list of everyone and how they died, where they found them, who was there. Cross lists and everything…but there were pages missing. Zack carefully looked at the binding of the college bound notebook.

"They were torn." He deduced. He looked at the open door, "Either Bailey took them because she really was onto something, or someone beat us here." He said, frowning, "Think we could hack into the school's cameras?" He asked.

"London had them removed from her hallway because she was worried about the alien attacks, remember?" Splinter reminded wearily, "It wouldn't be worth it."

"Damn it. I was the one who scared her about the aliens in the firs place. Seriously regretting that now." He mourned.

"Well it's not like Bailey isn't just floating around. We can ask her if she took them. We don't have to go raiding her corpse." Splinter rolled his eyes. Zack gave a visible wince.

"Don't say that." He muttered, "Not like that."

"What? Corpse?" Splinter gave him a look, "She's dead. How else should I say it?"

"Just don't then." Zack snapped uncharacteristically.

Splinter raised his hands in a defensive motion, but stood. "There's nothing more that's of use to us. Let's go and find her." He said.

Zack was happy to follow him.

Far away, Sophie was once again minding her own bees-wax when a Martin twin appeared to her. She saw the blond hair and the lanky figure and sighed.

"Zack," She began but frowned, "Oh, Cody?" She frowned.

"Sophie, Sophie…" The smarter twin said, with a little hiccup, and stood over her, but his figure swayed.

"Are you…drunk?" She pushed her glasses down to gaze at him over the top of them, and gave a hiss of disgust.

"Little." He said, and sat down, "I didn't mean to get drunk, but I don't know my limits. That's Zack's expertise." He said.

"Oh." She sighed, "Are you here to tell me that? Torture the first person you see? I need to change my place I read on this ship."

"I want to ask about Gemma." He said. Sophie snapped her book shut angrily.

"Not you too." She said, "What is it with the Martins and not letting things go?" She asked.

"Huh?" She realized that Cody had no idea his twin had paid her a visit not long ago, or that she was friends with him whatsoever. To be honest, it was tiring answering the same questions to everyone.

"Nevermind." She sighed, "Ask me." Cody was drunk and the sooner he got his answers the sooner he would leave. She didn't want to know what shady connections he had or how much he begged and weeped or whatever, but she found it pathetic. Her best friend died, and she just had to sit and act like nothing had happened. Besides, Cody and Bailey were in an ending relationship anyway. She knew one when she saw one. It was hard, but it's not like the two were madly in love anymore.

"I think there's a killer on this ship. And they killed Gemma too." He said outright, which, it wasn't a question, but it caught Sophie by surprise. She recovered quickly.

"She killed herself, Cody." She reminded him.

"Nuh-uh. Don't believe it." He said, "I was really thinking about it, and I don't think it's true."

"Why…if I may ask?" She said, and was even more tense at his outburst.

"I just…I don't know." He replied with a tinge of embarrassment, "But I might be thinking about it too much. I thought I saw her just now- did you know?"

Sophie let out a half-choke, half-laugh. "That's crazy." She said, her throat dry and hollow.

"You don't sound convinced." He said, looking at her. She sucked in a hard breath.

"She's dead. She wouldn't be walking around." She insisted firmly, and Cody giggled.

"I know you're lying. But I won't tell anyone you see dead people."

Sophie's lips pressed into a firm line. "Are you done?" She asked, "I'm in no mood for jokes, if you can imagine."

Cody seemed to sober, and he sighed. "Okay, fine. I just don't want to be alone. I thought…you…of all people…could understand?" He asked.

Sophie looked at him, and he seemed a little deflated after admitting such things, an little more childish. His body shook, and he frowned shaking his head. Sophie had been able to go to no one after Gemma died. No one knew what it felt like, and most said nasty things about her best friend for committing suicide. It was lonely. Only after finding that things weren't as normal as it seemed, she found herself not alone anymore. Not with Splinter, Zack, Bailey, and Camden. She knew the feeling all too well.

"You're right." She said. She could be a good person and be here for a guy who had never been anything but nice to her, "Let's get some ice-cream." She said.

Cody started.

"But it's closed."

Sophie sighed. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but it was past the point of hiding things. She held up a key. "I may or may not have copied the key from when I worked there." She said and Cody balked. Then, he smiled.

Farther away even still was Bailey, as a ghost, floating around almost freely. She was going to figure out who killed her and Camden and Gemma gosh darn it, now that she had nothing else to do. Camden had shrugged when she asked if he wanted to join, and seemed a little too relaxed about the whole thing now.

"You were killed. Murdered. Painfully." She said, frowning, "And you don't want to know who it is?"

Whoever this guy is, he's crazy. What if he can see us too? And kills more people because we're poking around?

"What if he kills someone either way?" Bailey pointed out, and Camden gave a slow shrug.

"Fine. I'll look myself." She said firmly.

She went around the whole ship. She of course had some ideas, but nothing concrete about anything at all. She had to think. Why was everyone killed?

There was a clattering pan from behind her, and she turned to see Godrick staring at her wide-eyed, a pan of noodles now on the carpet. She tried to float away slowly, but he shook his head.

"Bailey?" He asked.

She started floating through a wall, but found that she could not morph through easily. Crap, he really could see her.

"Hi, Godrick." She greeted with a wince, "So, uh, do you by chance see any other ghosts in your life?" She asked.

"My grandmother but-woah." He squinted, "I thought I was crazy."

"Most do." She said, and now that he was around, walked and grabbed his hand, leading him to a near-by table. Easier to tell him everything than ignore this.

"Look. Camden and Gemma are floating around too. Sophie, Splinter, and Zack can see us." She said with a flip of her hair, "And now you can. I'm surprised you haven't seen Camden. He's not exactly the most conspicuous ghost."

"I thought I saw him once, but it was two A.M." He confirmed, "So, any idea who killed you three?" He asked.

"Don't you mean two?" She asked.

"If all three of you are still around, that means that you're waiting for a release or vengeance. Those that commit suicide come back, but not as real people, but as bad energy. So I've heard." He shrugged, and he took out a sheet, "So- what do we know?"

"Uhh…" Bailey paused, looking at him. He looked up, and frowned.

"My father's a politician. My mother tracks people down. I live by facts and finding things." He said, "Now, chop-chop."

Bailey re-told everything she knew, but left out the parts about her and Zack, because Godrick- the kid she hardly knew- didn't need to know that.

"Three is hardly serial killer, but it's bad. Too bad I don't think it's enough to figure anything out yet." He said, sucking on the end of his pen, "But I agree. Reina is for sure a very guilty looking person at the moment."

"Maybe we should find her and ask her some questions? Or you, since she shouldn't be able to see me?"

"Quite right." He said, and stuck a pen behind his ear, "Where's her room?" He asked.

"It's down that way," Bailey said-pointing to the left, "But every Wednesday, her and Kennedy watch bad movies with popcorn in Kennedy's room." She supplied, "I was invited to one once or twice." She admitted, smiling at what seemed to be a fond memory.

They were half-way there when Bailey stopped Godrick. There was a crumpled figure in the middle of the hall. Godrick pushed past Bailey though, and nudged it with his foot. The figure slumped onto it's back, and the still eyes of Reina stared back.

Bailey stifled a shriek. Godrick was on the ground and immediately pushed two fingers against her neck.

"My god, she's still breathing. But it looks like she threw something up and she's foaming at the mouth." He reported quickly, more to himself. With strength he, grabbed her in his arms and began to run.

"Check on Kennedy!" He yelled back to Bailey who was shaking hard, but she nodded. IT took her good couple moments to regain herself. She sort of hated Reina because of what her and Cody may or may not have, but she didn't want her dead!

In Kennedy's room, a movie played in the background, still spinning, and there was the thick smell of freshly-popped popcorn, but no Kennedy. The bathroom door, however, was closed and locked. Bailey tried to knock, but her fingers went through the wood, so she braced herself and floated through.

Kennedy was on the floor too, but one look at her told Bailey that she was for sure dead. Her blond hair was spread out on the tile floor like a halo, and he eyes were glassy. There was vomit in the toilet and the same foam around her mouth, and it seems as she collapsed hard, because there was a slow forming puddle of blood beneath her head. Bailey couldn't be sure if it was whatever she was throwing up that had killed her, or the fall.

Sick to her stomach herself, Bailey floated back out and noticed a half-drunk bottle of wine on the bedside table. It wasn't the cheap stuff either, but five-star restaurant quality. One wine glass was almost empty, but there were remnants that a whole glass had been downed. The second glass was near the door, and there was only a little at the bottom, as if someone was just simply sampling a little.

Bailey didn't have to touch; smell, or guess to know the wine had been poisoned. As she figured it, Kennedy had taken a whole glass, and went into the bathroom saying she felt sick. Reina, who probably heard her friend retching and then silence after a thud, had gone to get help, after tasting the wine to see if that's what had her friend sick.

Which was stupid, true, and a chef like Reina should have known better than to taste something like that. But when in tense situations, people did a lot of stupid things.

They had found Reina about four doors down from the bedroom. Maybe it was because she hadn't drunk as much, or maybe because she forced herself to barf it up, but she was alive and that's what mattered.

She sat and waited, because it wasn't long until Godrick and Mr. Mosby burst into the room. Godrick slyly looked at Bailey who pointed to the bathroom door and the wine bottle and drinks. She saw connections go off in Godrick's head, and he pointed the locked door out to Mosby.

Bailey left right after, not wanting to be around to see another death, because it reminded her all too violently of her own demise. She wondered if Kennedy would return as a ghost, and to whom, and where?

Godrick followed her out, and caught her hand. "Reina's alive. She had poison. The wine. The doctor says she'll be up soon, but not to bug her."

"We have to know, though! It's not just coincidence." Bailey said.

"I know. Let's go and see. Maybe Kennedy's ghost will be with her, because, you know-connections." He shrugged.

The hospital area was of course dark and being guarded by a hawk-eyed woman. Bailey looked in, and saw Reina sitting in the darkness, and nodded to Godrick. The two slinked in and Godrick carefully approached Reina's bed.

"Hey, how are you?" He whispered. Reina looked up and smiled.

"They say you found me." She whispered and bit her lip, "I can't…thank you enough."

"Don't thank me yet." Godrick said, a shadow covering his face as he bowed his head. Reina gripped the side of the bed.

"Oh, no. Kennedy. She was vomiting and she was moaning and everything and then she wouldn't answer me. I had a sip of my wine, I mean, I don't like it much to begin with but I thought I was going to have to break open the door or something. I felt sick so I ran…and she…"

Godrick pursed his lips into each other so that it didn't look like he had lips at all. Reina gave a strangled cry, and shook her head.

"No!" She whispered, "No, no…"

"Hey, calm down." Godrick grabbed her arm, "I'm not supposed to be in here, but you need to tell me now who gave you that wine." He said.

"It was a guh-gift." Reina trembled.

"From who?" He pressed.

Reina licked her lips, "Splinter."

Godrick, forgetting where he was, shot a look back to Bailey. She moaned into her hands.

"Awe shit."

It took some time to explain his sudden looks to Reina, or to get away without upsetting her more, but she promised to cry when they told her about Kennedy and not to let anyone know that she saw Godrick here. Bailey scoffed a little bitterly; she was good at keeping secrets, wasn't she?

When Godrick knocked on Splinter's door, he was lucky to find everyone already there.

"Splint, we need to talk."


	8. Chapter 8

"Yeah, I did give her the wine." Splinter said after the shock fell from his face, "But I didn't poison it? Why would I want to kill her? I still like her!"

Maybe you sub-consciously wanted to apologize to me, so you gave me my soulmate back. Camden wrote, which got nasty looks from everyone. He quickly erased the note with the back of his sleeve, Jk. I don't want her dead to be with me. That's sick. It was a bad joke, people.

"Either way," Bailey huffed, "Where did you get the wine, Splinter? Are you loaded or something, because that stuff is real good stuff." She said.

Splinter moaned, and shook his head. "My father's wine closet the last time we docked in Florida." He said.

"That was a while ago." Sophie frowned, "Almost…three months ago. No one was dead then." She added, which made the two ghosts present mutter.

"I know, I wanted to show her that our one time thing wasn't just that to me." He said, "But in all the…whatever you want to call it, I forgot I had it for her. And I thought that after all this stress, you know, wine would be a good thing to give to her to try to mend bridges." He said.

"Did anyone know you planned to give this to her?" Godrick asked, taking notes rapidly.

"Probably like a whole class of girls." Splinter winced, "I asked her Home-Ec class what she enjoyed when she was sick. Lots of people all agreed she liked a really nice red wine. I think it went without saying I would someone give that to her." He said.

"Home-Ec has like thirty girls in it." Sophie shook her head, "But we can be sure from the clothing to this sabotage that it's a girl. Did the seal look as though it was broken when you gave it to her?" Sophie asked.

"No. Looked perfect."

"She's crafty then." Godrick got up.

"I have some more questions to ask Reina about this. I'll be back, guys." He said, nodding.

Zack muttered angrily under his breath, the first time he'd spoken.

"Who invited him into our circle?" He asked sourly.

"He kind of just barged in." Sophie amended.

He's a big help, though. He can see us, and he's right to the point.

Camden wrote his letters out and held it above his head, and Splinter spoke in agreement. Zack huffed, and Bailey frowned at him. What was his problem?

When Godrick reappeared, he was not alone.

"So, guess who I found?" He asked, slurring, and Kennedy was behind him. At the sight of Splinter, her eyes raged with fire and she flew forward and began hitting his chest repeatedly.

"What. The. Fucking. Fuck!" She screamed at him, "First you kill your roommate, then you kill me?" She cried, "Why?"

Uh, hi. Kennedy. Splinter didn't kill me, and he didn't kill you either. Camden nudged the board in front of her face, and she turned pale, if that was possible for a dead ghost. She looked between her two lovers, and shook her head hard, "Whatever. Why was I killed, then?"

"The killer is tying up lose ends." Zack said, snapping his fingers.

"What?" Kennedy asked, twirling her hair and raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you said you were the start of this whole thing. I heard you say it today."

"I said it to a group, you creepy-eavesdropper!" She snapped.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to listen in. If I could hear it, anyone could have." He defended himself.

"Like so what then?" She snapped bubble-gum and continued chewing, "I was the one who took the stupid picture, and I sent it Gemma but I thought it was only going to be like something between girls, I didn't mean to get it published."

"You took that?" Splinter gaped at her, "Against the rules?"

"Rules, whatever." She shrugged, "It was pretty priceless." Splinter contorted his face.

"Less attracted to you now." He decided.

I still think you're hot.

"Camden shut up." Bailey smacked the board out of his hand, "So, she was the start. But the whole wine thing makes me wonder. I've been running through scenarios in my mind."

"Exactly! Me too." Sophie agreed, "I'm not sure what the killer wanted to happen. Did she only want Kennedy to drink it?" She asked, "Or Reina too?"

"Did she want Reina to live to tell everyone it was Splinter's fault, or was the fact that Splinter gave it to her just a convenient way to slip poison to someone?"

"Am I supposed to be framed?" Splinter added, "I like to think not, buuuuuut…" He stretched out the word.

"There's so many different ways that could have gone. Did Splinter give you the wine tonight?" Bailey asked.

"No. But who would drink wine all alone? Boring. I mean, either the killer thought I'd drink it with my roommate or other people, duh. If she wanted just me to drink it, then clearly she's never had fun with wine and girls." Kennedy decided.

"I don't know at this point." Sophie shook her head hard, "Reina was our main suspect. Would the killer really want to kill off the one person that was keeping us from suspecting her? I mean, because I'm pretty sure we can cross of Reina as the killer now." Sophie decided.

"Unless she is." Zack reminded.

"She was almost killed tonight." Bailey reminded him.

"Unless she had an antidote!" Zack threw a finger in the air, "What about that? We don't take her off the list until we know for sure!"

"That's my best friend you're talking about!" Kennedy put her hands on her hips, "So excuse me!"

"But Zack's right." Splinter winced in anticipating for her glare, "I saw we go by guilty until proven innocent."

"Is dying innocent enough?" Kennedy demanded.

"No. Zack's right. We don't know this poison, we don't know why or when, we just know that you were killed and it was for sure meant for you." Splinter said, and Kennedy's face fell a bit.

"Oh yeah. Remind me again I'm now dead, why don't you?" She asked.

It's not so bad. We can still have sex, babe.

Zack blushed hard. "Do you know that from experience, huh?" He asked angrily, and Bailey shared a look with Camden. Did Zack think the two of them had-

"Ew!" She cried and Camden laughed silently, "No way, Zack!"

"I think we should disband for tonight." Splinter announced, rolling his eyes.

"After this, it's going to be tough to meet. Everyone's going to be under lock and key. We'd be sent home if we weren't in the middle of the ocean." Bailey pointed out.

"We'll use you three to communicate then." Godrick decided.

Kennedy shot him a nasty look. "Excuse me, I'm not messenger bird!"

"Do you want to find out who killed you, or not?" Sopie snapped back. Kennedy stayed silent.

"Reina can see her. We should introduce her to the group tomorrow, so she doesn't freak out." Godrick also decided, and Bailey's face turned sour.

The group thereafter quietly got up and left to go to various places. Zack was out of there like a bullet, and Bailey followed him back to his room.

"What the hell is up with you, Zack? You hardly said a word in between sending me looks." She asked with frustration.

"How about the fact you ignored me the whole day today?" He asked. Baiely stopped in step, and looked at him hard.

"I was getting used to being dead. And besides, I thought it would be hard for you with me floating around you constantly." She said.

"But maybe I want you to." He murmured softly, "Do you regret this?" He motioned to himself, then back at Cody.

Bailey took in a long breath, but sighed, "No. I mean, sometimes I think I do when I see Cody moping around, but it's a different sort of hurt. Not regret." She said.

"Good." Zack said, and took one of her hands, idly running his fingers over her skin, "Good."

He went and sat on his bed, and Bailey followed. He noted that she had a devilish smirk on her face. She grinned slyly, and Zack raised an eyebrow in question.

"So…do you remember riiiight at the start of the games?" She asked.

"When we still hated each other?" Zack recalled.

"Yeah. And we made a little bet…and since I died, horribly yeah, but I guess that means you win."

Zack's voice gave a pre-teen squeak, "Really?"

"Mhh…" Bailey hummed in agreement, "But before it begins, curiously, what were you going to do originally. I think you upset Maya and Cody pretty badly with your tone of voice."

"I just wanted to see Cody squirm." Zack shrugged, "I didn't mean to hurt Maya then. To be honest, it would have been totally innocent, like I don't know, make you…eat…grass?" He finished lamely, making Bailey realize he never had any idea of what he'd do. He was just talk.

"And now?" She prompted.

"Now…now my plans have changed." He amended, his voice growing low.

"Good." She said, reciting his amendment earlier, and settled herself lying down. Zack did not need to be invited twice.

"Should we see if what Kennedy was told by Camden is correct?" She asked, running a finger down his chest. Zack saw stars behind his eyes even before it began, and his vigorous nod was the end of words for the whole night.

At daybreak, Bailey lazily turned over, and found herself in the arms of someone. Blond hair- Cody? For a moment, she feared what Mosby would do if she found her in a boy's room, and wondered if perhaps she'd been drunk last night. She blinked, and her eyes adjusted.

Zack?

Oh yeah…Zack.

She blushed remembering the previous night's adventures, but then her mood dropped when she recalled she wasn't really here, she was just a ghost free-loading on his ability to make her feel whole.

She got up quickly, feeling overwhelmed, and sighed.

She wasn't a 'run and go' type so she patiently sat there in his desk chair waiting for Zack to awake. How did he treat girls after nights like that? Was he sweet? Sexy? Insulting? She balked a little, not sure if she wanted to face this.

What's more, how she could continue to face this

The boat would stop to give her body to her parents in three days time. She had until then to figure out her affections for Zack. If she so decided to stay away from him, and hell there had to be a ton of attractive but tragically killed boys in America, he would never see her again.

If she stuck around, she would be whole, but she couldn't be what she once was. She couldn't go out and get a job without Zack around her all the time, she couldn't get married, she couldn't have kids. It was a half-life in itself. And still, when Zack died after a long and good life, would he be revived as a ghost too, or would she be tragically bound to this life, wandering forever.

Or, if they caught the killer, would she be freed from this limbo?

She realized her affections for Zack were the least important thing at the moment. It was more pertinent to find the person who killed her and three others, and the attempted murder of one more. There could have been five bodies floating around this ship had Reina not been lucky.

The more feminine side of her had a flash of irrational jealousy in which she wondered if Cody had paid a visit to Reina in the hospital wing since last night? Probably not, of course. Godrick wasn't even supposed to be in there the last time, and hardly twelve hours had elapsed between the time of disbanding and falling into Zack's room.

And did she care?

It hurt to imagine that perhaps while they were still something, he had been looking at Reina. But in the same way, she'd been looking at Zack. She didn't even allow him to kiss her until she was dead, of course, which she figured broke any immature relationships she'd ever had with anyone, and if it had happened in the living world in which their relationship had moved quickly, she would have had the decency to break up with Cody and insist Zack wait a week or two before moving in.

She couldn't even phantom Cody's reaction if he found out about her and Zack. And that made her feel like a terrible person.

Yet they'd been falling for months. It was more comfort and all, they both stayed together because it was easy. And it was expected of them, the two smartest kids in the school. But they hardly talked and joked the way the once had, they didn't gush or tickle noses in between classes, and all the hypothetical talk of futures had abruptly ceased. It was the end, but she refused to believe it.

Zack stirred in his sleep, and wearily opened his eyes. He sat up suddenly, and whipped his head around, as if he had expected her to really leave. They softened when they touched her face, but it was short-lived as someone breezed into the room.

"Zack! It's nearly noon!" Maya gasped, "Are you still sleeping?"

"I'm a little upset." He admitted, "Did you hear about Kennedy and Reina?" He asked. Bailey could tell he was genuinely sorrowful about it; it was horrible when anyone died, even if you didn't know them well. Bailey was pretty sure she'd never even had a conversation with Kennedy, yet she knew that the girl was from Texas and loved the color orange. She knew that Kennedy was good in math and Ecology, but bad in every other class and had planned to go into the study of agriculture and how it could help the world. She wasn't the brightest girl, but she had wanted to make a change, which is more than most kids she knew could say.

Maya's lip quivered, and she just collapsed on the bed. "I was coming to ask you. They were some of my best friends, I can't even…" She said, "I was supposed to go over there last night to join them! Zack, I could have been killed." She breathed in one large exalted breath, sinking hard into the mattress. Bailey shifted farther into the room. Even though she was solid, she was pretty sure people couldn't see her if they didn't see other ghosts. Still, it felt like she was invading something too private. Maya had known them better.

"This person…they've killed four people." Zack breathed out loud, and Maya just continued to cry. Bailey winced; for everything Zack was good at, comforting crying girls was not his strong suit. Why would you remind an upset girl the very thing she was upset about?

He patted her back, and rested his chin on her shoulder. His eyes glanced toward Bailey, a sort of apology, but she silently shook her head. She understood, and although there was a little air of arrogance that wanted to push him away from Maya, she let it go. She felt bad for Maya, even.

"They won't get away with this." Zack said defiantly, and Maya paused her blubbering to look up, wiping her eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, her nose running as she tried to wipe, but found her own hand so wet from tears it was nearly impossible. Then, her lip quivered again, "Zack, tell me you're not doing something stupid."

The hesitation was all she needed. "No."

"You're going after him." She accused, sucking in a hard breath. Her hands shook.

"Her," He corrected, "We know it's a her."

"My god Zack, you don't get it, do you?" She suddenly leapt up, hands waving all around, "This person- girl or boy- is killing people. They're fucking killing kids."

"I know. They've killed people we both care about." Zack confirmed, which Bailey wouldn't say was all that true. He didn't know Camden, flirted with Gemma only in passing, once hit on Kennedy, and liked Bailey in secret. Maya seemed not to notice, or agreed, but she continued, grabbing his shoulders.

"This isn't a video game or a friendly match of Clue!" She cried, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking they need to be stopped before we go home. I stand for justice, Maya. Don't you? With you wanting to go to Chad and everything and fix things?" He asked.

"I want to solve world hunger, not track down a dangerous humming being." She huffed, "You're going to get yourself killed and I'll have two dead friends and a dead boyfriend!" She said, shaking so hard that Bailey would have thought it was snowing in the room.

Zack just gave her a hard look. "I'm worried for you," He whispered in a soft voice, "Really. This person- they don't kill in a pattern. It really seems random. They could kill you next, if we don't stop them now." He said. Maya gave a little sob, but shook her head.

"Zack, they have no reason to kill me." She said, "What did I ever do to them?"

"What did Kennedy do? Or Bailey? Or anyone?" Zack asked, and he pulled her into a tight hug. He kissed her forehead in a more friendly than loving way, and sighed, "I can't bear to lose someone else or anyone for that matter." He corrected himself before he let something slide he wasn't supposed to. Bailey also was sure he meant that. It was like she had thought before; she didn't like Cody and was done with that part of her life, but she couldn't imagine him dead, tied to this fate like she was. No one should have died, but what was done couldn't be helped.

"Zack, as long as you're insisting on chasing this dangerous person…I can't…" She shook her head, "Please. For me. Stop this nonsense! I don't want to find you bleeding on the floor or hanging somewhere!" She cried.

Zack winced. "Does it really upset you so much?" He asked.

"Really." She confirmed.

"Then…I suppose…" He looked helplessly at Bailey who nodded. She knew what he was going to say, and she would talk to him after, "I won't continue."

Maya put a hand over her mouth, and she cried, but in happiness. "Thank you, Zack. Really, Mr. Mosby's hiring a real detective, and he'll find this 'girl' if you insist. But please, leave it to someone who does this all the time." She said, "I'm going to go down and sit with Reina. I know you weren't friends, but will you come with?" She asked.

"Of course." Zack dipped his head, "Let me change and shower though, I'll meet you down there." Maya nodded mutely, and stood on her toes to kiss Zack chastely before she exited. Bailey could have sworn as she turned around, her eyes had a spark of recognition as if she could see her, but Maya didn't pause or start if she could see her.

It wasn't that surprising. Maybe others had died in her life, which possessed her with the ability. Or maybe she was imagining it. She had been pretty sure Mosby had seen her as well as Cody, but when she went up to both, they walked right through her.

Zack was licking his lips nervously.

"I agree." Bailey said, "With Maya."

"What?" Zack said, tipping his head as if he didn't hear her the first time.

"She's right, Zack. This girl is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt." She said, whimpering.

"Then I'd be with you." Zack said softly, and it broke her heart.

"Don't say that again, Zack. I don't wish that for anyone." She said firmly, "And you have a whole life."

"But you had a better one." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then make it better Zack. Model it how I would have. I'll give you pointers." She rolled her eyes in a sudden burst of frustration toward him.

"Bailey, I'm not going to. I worry about my brother. London. Woody. Addison. Maya. Reina, especially if she was supposed to die the first time." He said, "In other times, I couldn't do anything because I wasn't smart enough. Now, I can help people. Do something." He stressed.

"She said professionals are coming. You think a group of kids can outsmart them?" Bailey asked in all seriousness.

"They don't have ghosts," Zack reminded, "That counts for something."

Bailey walked with Zack down to the infirmary. Once, when they were in a corridor alone together, he let his hand brush hers. "By the way, you were great." He murmured. The blush flared across her face, and she gave a little laugh-chuckle. It felt good to be assured.

"You're probably an expert." She amended. Zack shrugged.

"I'm not as well-experienced as you think. You only my number three." He assured.

"One was Maya…and?" She asked, "If you don't mind."

"To be honest, I don't even really know her name. It was my first, and it was right before we left for Seven Seas High."

"Zack!" Bailey chastised, hitting him on the shoulder, and he winced.

"Hey, I mean, it was a little good-bye present. We both knew it was a one time thing, obviously." He said, missing the point of her shock.

They had to cut their conversation off when they turned the corner, because there was people all the way to the infirmary. Reina had been a popular person, or she really hadn't, but people wanted to be there for an almost victim. Only Maya was let through though, and by that allowance, Zack too. Bailey floated through without any problems, as she let herself stay back a couple feet behind Zack.

In the room, she was surprised to find Kennedy was missing. Reina's eyes focused in on Bailey as soon as she entered, and she gave a little nod to acknowledge her existence. There was an apology somewhere in her chocolate brown orbs as well, which Bailey nodded back to.

Then she looked at Zack, and a little light of understanding flickered on, and she gave Bailey a grim smile. She was forced to avert her attention back to Maya, who had been rummaging in her bag for something for her friend.

"Reina…" Maya sighed, "How are you?"

"Tired. Sad." Reina replied with a low noise of sorrow, "Why didn't I die too?" She asked.

"Because you are lucky. Blessed." Maya took her friend's hand, running her fingers of the knuckles. Reina didn't looked convinced. Zack sat almost awkwardly, sitting far enough from Maya as so their thighs were not touching, but close enough that it wasn't obvious he was trying not to sit close to her.

A third person burst into the room, and walked right through Bailey. Reina winced almost missed by a normal glance, and at first Bailey thought it was sympathy for being waltzed through like air. And then she saw who it was, and she felt a violent stab through her chest. Cody.

The once love of her life had literally walked all over her. And then, Bailey had to question once again, was he here because there was something? Reina was not looking at her, and hiding any hints that could help her very well, and it was too much for Bailey. She was going to go and find Kennedy anyway.

She touched Zack's shoulder, and he stiffened, but could not make any movement toward her, and slipped through the slightly ajar door from when Cody had entered.

She found Kennedy where it seemed most ghost could be found; in Splinter's room. It was only Camden, Kennedy, and Godrick now. Sophie and Splinter were nowhere to be found.

"Hi, Godrick." Bailey greeted, making her presence known. Godrick glanced up sharply, and nodded a quick greeting to her. He was sitting across from Kennedy, writing things down.

"And then what?" He asked.

"I don't know," Kennedy looked like she was in pain, "I can't remember."

Godrick gave an aggravated sigh. "It's not like I'm asking you to remember what you did exactly a year to this day ago, I'm asking you about yesterday."

Kennnedy sputtered, "Really? Can you tell me exactly what you ate for breakfast yesterday?" She challenged. Godrick's eyes widened.

"Yes! Most people could!" He threw up his hands.

"Well, something traumatic happened yesterday. Maybe I'm trying to block it out?" She replied sassily.

"No shit." Godrick agreed, "But this could be really important."

"Or it could do nothing." Kennnedy pointed out.

"Please, if you ever want to get revenge on this person, just help me out a little here." Bailey looked at Camden, who was watching the exchange with an amused look on his face, legs drawn up to his chest as he sat on the bed. His bed. She sat next to him.

This is better than T.V.

He wrote to Bailey. Bailey chuckled to herself, and lowered her voice down to a whisper.

"Where did she get stuck?" She asked.

What she did right after breakfast.

Bailey shook her head, but now Kennedy seemed to genuinely try to recall the day, whom she talked to, and what she told them. Bailey tried to listen fully, but found she dancing in and out of focus and only caught snippets of 'A Day in the Life of Kennedy Cinno'.

"Well after lunch, I went back to my room to change for the second half of the day, you know? Like some people wear things the whole day, but that's just a waste of clothes that you have that you could be wearing. It's what I'm wearing now. Really. If I would have known I was going to die, I would have picked out something more comfortable."

"Get back to the point," Godrick growled with irritation, biting the tip of his pen.

"Oh, okay. I went and invited Maya to the party thing, along with a couple others like Valisa and Nettie. Only Reina could come, because she NEVER misses a girls night and all." Kennedy spoke a lot with her fingers, pointing and making motions.

"Who knew about the wine?" He asked.

"No one. It was going to be a surprise treat. I mean, I had just gotten it delivered that morning." Kennedy said as if it was obvious.

"Who delivered it?"

"Who knows. It was in my room when I returned from breakfast with a note from Splinter." She paused, her eyes growing heavy as she looked around the room, "It wasn't him. He didn't try to kill me."

"We know, hun." Bailey finally spoke up, "We all think he's innocent."

"I just need to say this, though." Kennedy studied her nail art, "I didn't ever love him, or really like him. I thought he was a little sexy and attractive, and I know I've been a bitch to him. And I think he still thinks I blame him, but won't listen to me. And I feel terrible. I know he didn't kill me. He's really strong and good at fighting, but he's not a killer." She said in one long breath, and then looked at Godrick. There was a silence between everyone, and Camden started to clap, but Bailey quickly stopped him.

Godrick looked down at his paper. "Let's just keep going, shall we? I'm sure he knows deep down that you don't think that he killed you." Kennedy frowned, as if this was not the response that was looked for, but nonetheless, the pair continued the list.

Back down at the infirmary, Cody and Zack left when Reina began to feel tired, but Maya stayed, saying that she felt like she should sit with her friend awhile longer. Zack wouldn't have wanted to walk with his brother, but their rooms being across the hall from each other was inconvenient.

His brother started sniffling half-way there. By the time they reached their rooms Cody was holding back tears, and Zack didn't have to ask why. Bailey. He felt a little angry by his brother's reaction. First, he could not show such irrational emotions, even if he had wanted to, because there would be some serious questions about a girl he hated not even three months ago. Secondly, he wasn't a wimp and would only cry in the sanctity of his own room or at her funeral.

He was happy to go their separate ways, until Cody spoke. "Zack, I know you never liked her, but she liked you. Well, not like that. She didn't hate you thought." He said.

"Really?" Zack's interest was piqued. Yes, of course now he knew she didn't hate him, but back when she was dating Cody, he wasn't so sure.

"Yeah." Cody was clearly going to be done with this conversation, and opened the door to his room. Zack welcomed himself in.

"How can you be so sure?" He pressed, and Cody shrugged.

"Look, I could just tell. She wanted to be friends. That was the way Bailey was. I know if she could hear you know, she'd hear your apology." He comforted him, and Zack only gave his brother sad eyes. Once, the two shared everything. But now, Zack couldn't even tell him his ex was still around, trying to reach him, without saying some things he wasn't ready to say.

Zack didn't reply, but stared down at his interlocked fingers. Cody may have taken this as a signal of his guilt, because he sat next to him. "Hey, it will be okay," Cody said uneasily. Usually it was the reversal of personalities.

"I know. It will be okay when I find this killer." Zack said in a stronger voice, and Cody frowned, "You're not going to yell at me as well, are you?"

"Maya's most likely worried. He's dangerous. But this horrible man killed Bailey, so I want to help." He said.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Zack backtracked, but Cody shook his head.

"You don't understand. I hate this guy more than I've ever hated before. And whomever Mosby hires won't understand everything that kids do. This is a student killing a student." He said.

There was more silence, but this time Zack was really contemplating giving Cody some of the things that Bailey had been working on before all this. Which Sophie now had. Not that Sophie wasn't smart; she was above average, but in an English sort of way, not a mathematical. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have another look.

"Sophie has a lot of the stuff that Bailey was working on before she died. A lot of it seems like gibberish, but maybe you'd understand it." Zack finally relented. Cody suddenly seemed as though someone had struck him.

"Bailey was trying to find him before she was killed?" He asked. He didn't seem angry, just upset.

"Yeah. After Gemma died." Zack confirmed. Cody paced a couple times, his fists clenching and closing before he walked over to his bathroom. From the overhead cabinet, he pulled out a perfume bottle. He spritzed it a bit, and Zack's head shot right up.

"Cody." He said quickly. Cody looked out, miffed.

"My God." He rolled his eyes, "If you say anything about me having male perfume, stuff it. It's Bailey's favorite scent, and I smell it when I want to feel close to her."

It was almost too sad the way he acted on, as if she had died when they were the happiest they ever were, and the fact that she didn't love him like that anymore.

But he didn't focus on that, he was standing in a flash. "Where did you get that? I…I…" How much could he say without saying too much? "It's familiar to me."

"No shit." Cody said, a hard edge in his voice, "Bailey brought her favorite perfume on the ship when we first started. I spent a whole day tracking it down when we docked in the port she bought it, because she said she was almost running out, before we were dating. I had it all nice and gift wrapped and then you come along and take it to give it to your date. I seriously had to wait a whole other year to find this stuff again but then she…"

Died.

"Who was the girl I gave it to?" Zack asked. He remembered taking the perfume to woo someone, yes, but he knew it had sat in his closet for a while. And to be honest, it seemed like one day it was there, the next it wasn't. There was alcohol probably involved.

"Like I know?" Cody shrugged, "You stole it before you were dating Maya, but it's not like I went and smelled every girl to see who you gifted it to." Cody did have a point.

But even come to think of it, Zack recalled smelling Bailey with that scent on as well. It could have been Bailey or this girl he gifted it to in Gemma's room. It could have been the killer, or maybe Bailey was in there for some other reason that day that she never got around to saying, because it wasn't important.

"You wanted to help, and you just did." Zack said in a hasty exit as he slammed the door. He could hear Cody protesting a bit, and he called to him to seek out Sophie, and then he made a bee-line for Splinter's.

It was just the ghosts in Splinter's room, at that moment. Godrick and Splinter had left to go and get food- seeing as the ghosts didn't need such sustenance, none wanted to wander outside.

Are you guys going to go to your own funerals? Splinter wrote on his board, and held it up. Bailey shrugged, as she hadn't quite thought about it. Kennedy made a little scared noise, and then shook her head.

"Once, when I was alive, I wondered who would show up if I were to die. Now, I don't want to know." She said softly, "You?"

Yeah. One last time to grope crying girls and all. He joked, winking at both girls who just made a sound in the back of their throat, then his expression turned serious. I left some friends, and I had two siblings and a good family. I don't want to stick around, haunting their house, but I do want to see them one last time.

"Maybe, we'll all go to each others." Bailey offered, to which Kennedy smiled a little, and Camden grinned, "And Gemma too."

"Must be lonely." Kennedy gave a long sigh.

Being dead?

"Being dead and having no one to talk to." Kennedy explained, "I feel like she has some major things to talk about." She raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't think finding a ghost on a vehicle that one person could not exit, even as a ghost, would be that difficult." Bailey agreed with a little groan of frustration, "But we've seen her three times."

"I think she's hiding something." Kennedy decided.

No shit. Camden rolled his eyes, Also, what are you all doing after the funerals?

"Not home, you're right." Kennedy said.

"I don't know. What does a ghost do if we never get our white light?" She asked, tilting her head. Camden was writing quickly on his board, to the point where it was nearly illegible.

There has to be thousands of us in the same situation, stuck around. Places like New York probably have as many ghosts as living, and I'm sure there's some system underground there or something. The three- or four if we can talk to Gemma- should go there together.

Together. The word thumped in her chest, and she almost touched the place of her heart, because she felt it coming out of her chest. But that was just an illusion, a remembrance of a once passion returning. Did she want to stay with Zack after all this? She surly didn't want to tie him down, make him miss other girls and the chance of a wife and children one day. Would it make her happy to stick around, though? To watch his children grow up while she was trapped?

Kennedy and Camden must have noticed tears leaking out from underneath her lids, because Camden took her hand, and Kennedy wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"Bailey, hun." The girl's southern accent thickened with sympathy, "I don't know what you're going to do."

"No way I look at it is a good option." Bailey admitted, wiping the tears away with her free hand.

Camden scrappily wrote with his non-dominate hand: There's hot ghosts out there, I'm sure. Guys just like Zack.

"I know, I know…" Bailey closed her eyes, "But-,"

"But what? You're going to hideaway in his house and never get a job, but be his every night but never age? Yes, we feel alive around those that can see us, but that is the cruelest trick of all. Without him always by you, you would literally be nothing."

Zack chose that exact moment to slam the door open, and Camden leapt away, although Kennedy stayed close. Zack came and sat on her opposite side, taking the hand that was pervious occupied, and kissed her temple.

"Bale, what's wrong?" He asked. Bailey refused to tell him about her silly emotions, and they were rather insignificant in the line of everything anyhow, so she simply shook her head.

"Ghost stuff. It's fine." She lied.

Splinter and Godrick returned with a pizza, laughing and arguing about something that was clearly all in good fun.

"So, I just bumped into your brother looking for Sophie." Splinter said as he lounged across his bed, picking up a slice, "Why?"

"Nothing to concern us right now." Zack said, and then he recalled why he was here in the first place, "I have a new discovery."

The whole room had his attention. First he turned to Bailey, and attempted to keep his face impartial.

"Bailey, did you at all ever visit Sophie and Gemma's room on the day of her killing?" He asked.

"No." Bailey said, scrutinizing him.

"Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie to you?" She asked, her expression reflecting a moment of hurt. She was surprised to find his grin grow broader instead of sink when she confirmed such facts.

"Then I think we have a new lead for sure." He said, drawing everyone into a tight-packed circle. He retold his findings, including that he had promised his brother he'd let him help which drew groans from Splinter and Bailey, but he ignored them. When he finished his hunch, everyone was smiling with accomplishment. Godrick pulled out a notebook from the back of his pants, and a pen from his hair.

"I need you to list to me every girl you've dated on this ship." He said.

"You're going to be here awhile." Bailey rolled her eyes, and Zack blushed.

"It's a long list." He agreed. Godrick did not seem put off.

"Well, start now."

After about an hour of brainstorming, and the help of the rest of the crew, Zack felt they had successfully listed every girl he'd gone out with at any time in his couple years here. It was whopping 27 girls. He looked at Bailey, expecting the worst of expressions. Maya would have reacted very badly to this, even though he was clearly dating her now (she was number 27). Bailey just seemed completely amused by Zack's previous prowess on the ship.

"Well, that is a lot." Godrick agreed, and began to circle and number certain girls.

"What are you going to do with this?" Splinter asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"Figure out which one had the perfume." He said.

"Duh." Kennedy rolled her eyes, "He's asking how, idiot."

"Oh." Godrick rubbed his fingers, and gave a sly smile, "I'm going to say that I'm doing poll and study about giving perfume to girls. I'll ask if they've ever been given a bottle of perfume, and if they say yes, I'll ask them to list the guy that gave it to them and how long they were together. Pretend that it indicates love or something stupid like that. From that list, we may not know exactly who it is, but have you ever given perfume to any girl except the bottle you took from Cody?" He asked.

Zack scoffed. "Even cheap perfume is really expensive. If they say I gave them perfume, it's gotta be them." He said, nodding.

Thank God Zack is too cheap to buy girls perfume. Camden laughed at himself, and this elicited a couple chuckles from the group.

"I can't believe you stole my perfume! Of all things!" Bailey threw up her hands, but it was half-joking.

"I didn't know it was yours at the time. Okay, I did. Who else would my brother be giving that stuff to?" Zack said.

Godrick checked his watch. "If I start now, I can catch probably a couple of these girls down at the smoothie bar. And let me go alone- too many will seems suspicious." Godrick said, picking up his jacket and notebooks.

"Fine by me." Splinter shrugged, "I'm keeping the pizza here."

"I'm where ever pizza is." Zack agreed. There weren't really much protests from the ghosts either, because no one really wanted to watch Godrick investigate.

Half an hour before the lights out on the ship, Godrick had managed to catch eight girls on Zack's list, but it seemed no one so far had been given perfume by him. Maybe they were out-of-luck and Zack's theory wouldn't hold up because he gave it to some girl just on vacation, passing through. He was about to head back up, when he saw another girl on the list. No problem in continuing to try.

"Hey! Uhh, Tiffany!" He called the leggy blonde over by him, and she stood over him with a hard look to her, "Do you mind if I ask you some things for a study I'm doing?" He asked.

"You're a sophomore, right?" Tiffany asked, the answer already in her voice.

"I'll buy you a smoothie." Godrick said smoothly, taking out his student card. Tiffany considered it, then sat and crossed her legs delicately.

"Fine." She turned to the manager of the bar, "The usual, please."

"Great!" Godrick said enthusiastically, "So I'm comparing-," He began, but Tiffany waved a hand.

"I already know. The first girl you interviewed told our dinner table about it. I think it's interesting, you know?" She asked.

"Oh, very much so." Godrick said absently, staring down at his sheet, "Then you already know the questions I'm going to ask you."

There were very few people on the sky-deck at this time of night, even with more than a quarter of the hour left before they had to be in their rooms, which surprised Godrick. They were in warm weather, and usually there were teenagers in the hot tub until the very last moment, running with wet soles of their feet over the deck before Mosby turned the corner. But as he looked around, only a few passengers enjoyed the deck, but word had gotten out, and no one really much wanted to be anywhere but off the ship.

"Yes. I have been given perfume before." She said, leaning in.

"By anyone on this ship?" he asked, his heart rate beating. He felt like she was the one.

"Mh-hmm." She said, sipping her smoothie and giving an achingly long pause. It must have been totally non-problematic to her to take a sip, but Godrick felt his fingers tap the page in anticipation.

"And?" He prompted.

"By Tyson Lann." She said, "We dated for six months." She seemed overly proud of herself, and for sake of the ruse, he wrote it down. He waited, but she said no more.

"Are you sure that no one else gave you perfume like Aiden or Ned or Zack or George?" He asked, listing off a few boys innocently. Tiffany's lips parted to an 'o' shape, and she giggled.

"Godrick, did you keep tabs of boys I've dated, and you're sure that this isn't just some huge ploy to ask me out?" She questioned, and Godrick jerkily shook his head.

"Oh, well, if you say so." She tilted her head, but clearly she didn't believe it, "And besides. Zack and Ned were just flings."

"Can't flings give gifts?" He asked, and she stood. He felt he may have taken it too far, but she seemed to think he had a crush on her, so he wasn't concerned. She downed her smoothie, licking her lips.

"I may say yes." She said, and Godrick jolted.

"To…what?" He asked. She patted his shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"You're cute." She said and she left the sky deck, leaving Godrick to be an anomaly. He pursed his lips and sighed. Never had he even noticed her, but now she thought he had a crush on her? Ah, well, she was quite pretty, speaking honestly. There were worst girls to assume such things, he told himself.

Alec was already asleep, or at least turned in his bed, when he entered the room. Alec didn't question where his sometimes friend and roommate had been, because to say Godrick was eccentric was a bit of an understatement. He didn't question his lately outings, nor his behavior and let his roommate slip into his own bed and turn out the lights.

Godrick was pleased to find himself getting somewhere, even if nothing had been discovered yet.

He woke suddenly in the middle of the night with the acute feeling of something wrapping around his neck; like hands. His first instinct was to cry out, but found another hand was pressing hard down against his lips. Fear overtook him suddenly, and he thrashed.

"Shh…wouldn't want to wake our friend, eh?" The voice sounded strangled and rough, as if someone was purposely straining his or her voice to make it unrecognizable. He immediately stopped, not because he was particularly keen on obeying people threatening him, but because somewhere in the back of his mind, Godrick knew that he had heard that voice before. It was there, underneath the grinding of the vocal chords, there was something undeniably familiar about it.

The hand on his neck tightened, and he let out a short gasp for breath, which never came. His hands clawed at his throat, and he waited for the person to speak again.

"You're playing a dangerous game." The person, who now he could most certainly say was a female, murmured.

"Killing people is not a game." Godrick hissed under his breath, refusing to be so easily beaten by this girl.

"Isn't that what assassin is all about?" The person asked, and Godrick kicked up. He knew that general area may not hurt as much if it was a male, but it was sure to still do some damage. The person hissed in slight pain, much less than they should of, "You yell and I kill your friend." They said, and Godrick rethought his plan on screaming as soon as she was most occupied. She must have seen the way his lips slightly parted, gauged the way he drew in a slight breath, and saw his eyes flicker toward the open port hole. Wow; she was almost a match for him and his deductive skills.

"What do you want then?" he asked.

"You need to stop investigating. Things are better left where they lie."

"I won't." Godrick said and raised his eyes to try to see the girl's in the total darkness, "And if you kill my friend, I'll have all the more reason to never stop." His heart was beating faster than it ever had before and he could almost taste the danger off her words, and the fear that leaked out of every pore. Godrick had never been more terrified in his life, but he'd be dammed if he let her know that.

"Is that so?" She asked, but Godrick never got the chance to answer.

In the morning light, Alec stood and stretched and looked over to his companion's bed. Godrick had the covers pulled all over his head so he was just a little ball under the covers, and his whole body was shaking.

"Dude, are you okay?" He went, and his fingers gently touched the comforter, but Godrick let out a loud cough.

"I'm just feeling really sick. Go down to breakfast." Godrick's voice was filled with the rawness of an ill person.

"Do you want anything?" Alec asked as he cautiously rounded the bed to grab his clothes, and saw that no part of his friend was showing.

"Just go." His friend's voice shook, but Alec thought not much of it, and left promising to leave him alone the day to let him feel better, and advised him to get lots of sleep.

But Godrick couldn't even close his eyes without opening them in terror. Since waking, he had not a wink of sleep since.

By one, Splinter noticed that Godrick wasn't anywhere to be found, and of course everyone expected the worse right off the bat. They pounded on the door of his room, but were all relieved to hear his voice- albeit different- come from the other side.

Zack had to do some nifty trick with the handle to open the lock, but soon Zack, Splinter, Sophie, Reina (recently released and wanting to get to the bottom of it and stay close to Kennedy) and the three ghosts trailed in. Honestly, the ghosts knew they could have simply gone in without the lock picking, but it was common courtesy.

Godrick was still in the same spot his roommate had left him that morning. But when his friends entered, Godrick peeked out meekly.

"Hey, anything new? Did you find anything out?" Zack asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I can't continue." Godrick said in a quiet voice.

"What?" Splinter asked, leaning down.

"I…I can't continue with you guys trying to figure this out." He said is a very small voice.

"What?" Splinter repeated, then shook his head, "But you were…and…what happened?"

"Did something have to happen? I just decided I have better things to do." He said hotly, suddenly turning bitter.

"Like we're going to believe nothing happened when you sit underneath the covers doing nothing. Is sleeping your better thing to do?" Zack asked a little harshly, to which Bailey shushed him and moved him and Splinter from the bed.

"He's shaking." She said tenderly, reaching out, to which Godrick flinched away, then cussed at himself. Bailey, concerned, reached to grab the blanket. Godrick was in mid-protest when she yanked it off. It fell to the floor with silence.

"Nothing happened?" Kennedy echoed, her voice shaking.

"Fine." Godrick swung his legs over the bed, wincing hard at the movement, "Something happened."

Bailey looked over him. His neck, arms, and legs were bruised already. His left eye was swelling and his lip was split apart. There was dry blood dribbling down his chest, which were covered in tiny gashes. The worst was his foot, which seemed mangled and was wrapped tightly in an old shirt, but there was already blood on it.

"What happened?" Reina burst out, and Godrick looked at himself in shame.

"I was threatened last night to stop doing this." He motioned to them, "And at first she threatened Alec- my roommate. I mean, it wasn't my life. And I thought I was being noble and brave about it and that I could hold up and put my life out there the same, but when it came down to all of this…I can't. I'm so afraid, and I can't die. I'm…suh…sorry." He burst out crying, and suddenly it was if everyone in the room recalled his actual young age. Kennedy and Bailey flanked him, and Bailey stood to get a wet washcloth. She began to gently wash off the blood as he sat there crying.

"We can't blame you." Splinter said uneasily, looking at Godrick. He looked at Camden, but the exchange that passed between them needed no words. Camden shook his head; it was not the same method as the person who had killed him, therefore not the same attacker.

"Godrick, I know this is traumatic, but do you know who it was?" Splinter had to ask, and he was pretty sure it was what everyone was thinking.

"Yeah. I figured it out, the voice." He said, and looked around as if he expected the person to jump out, "but I don't think it was the killer. The person, now that I think about it, sounded scared out of her wits. She even let it slip that she was supposed to kill me, but she felt a warning would suffice. This person couldn't bring herself to kill me." He rubbed his neck, as if it settled in that he should have been dead this morning. Reina sighed, recalling her own traumatic experience, and nodded in understanding.

"Yes, but who was it?" Splinter pressed.

"It was Gemma."

Sophie broke from the group in an instant.

"No!" She said firmly, "No."

"It don't think she wanted to-," Godrick tried to explain, wincing as Bailey put medicine on a partially nasty cut, but Sophie backed out.

"I'm going to find her and prove it wasn't her! She's not capable of that!" She pointed to Godrick's body, and he just stared at her. His eyes were not bright like yesterday, but dull and tired.

"I'm good at these things. I know it was her. And I forgive her." He said. Sophie didn't listen to him, and she backtracked out of the room. She hit the back wall and ran the other way. She didn't know where she would find Gemma, but she had to.

And on the way she ran into Cody, who looked way to pleased to see her, until he saw the tears on her face.

"Did you ever know Gemma?" Sophie asked, wiping the tears, her hands shaking.

"Not personally." Cody answered slowly, unsure on what exactly was happening.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" She asked. Cody looked at her strangely.

"Why?" He didn't say yes or no, she noticed. She bit her lip.

"What if I told you that Camden, Gemma, Bailey, and Kennedy are now ghosts on this ship waiting for someone to avenge their death?" She asked in a moment of weakness. Yes, they had agreed not to tell Cody about the supernatural part, but she needed someone to find Gemma with her now. Cody just shook his head.

"I would tell you that's too good to be true."


	9. Chapter 9

"What are we going to do?" Bailey whispered, shooting furtive looks back at Godrick.

"I know. Can he just quit like that?" Zack threw out his hands, but Bailey gave a hard jerk of her head.

"No. He looks like shit. He can hide from our classmates maybe, but what is he going to tell his mother?" She asked.

Zack's mouth hung open, and he gave a long shake of his head. "I don't know."

"I'll think of something." Godrick croaked from his bed, "I'm smart enough for that." He gave a hard grimace. Kennedy was studying his scars.

She went into the bathroom and began to wet a washcloth. Bailey followed her, looking for band aids or first-aid supplies in the cabinet behind the mirror. Godrick mutely let the two women wash and care for his wounds. Splinter, Camden, and Zack exchanged looks.

"Should we find Sophie? She seemed really upset." Splinter frowned, and he gave a glance over his shoulder.

"What is she going to do? Track Gemma down? We've all been trying to do that anyway." Zack gave a shrug, and he was more annoyed than anything. Sure, now that Bailey was dead, she couldn't be hurt. Yet, that didn't mean others that he cared about couldn't still be harmed.

It just made him want to continue even more.

His phone beeped and it was Maya. She was looking for him. Splinter saw his face, and gave a raised eyebrow.

"You still haven't ended things?" He asked.

"It's been quite the couple days. It's not like I want to stay with her still." Zack said under his breath as so not that Bailey would hear.

"Hey, look. All I'm saying is it's going to make life hell for her, but she'll be more upset if you lead her on. She's that sort of girl." Splinter said.

Remember when you chased her so hard and she wouldn't give you the time of day? Camden was laughing to himself behind his board and Zack gave him a hard glare.

"You should find her now." Splinter advised. Zack contemplated his courses, but finally nodded.

"Yeah. You're right. I agree." He said, "Bailey…I'm going to go and…" He coughed, and Bailey's eyes narrowed in quiet understanding.

He went back to his room, and once he was relaxed, he texted her his location, and waited for her to come to him. He had his laptop on his lap. After a moment's consideration he pulled up Google search and typed 'how long is it okay to break up after your girlfriend's best friend dies?'

As expected, not many results showed up.

"Hey babe. What's up?"

She seemed to come out of nowhere and Zack hastily slammed the top down with an audible slam.

"Homework." He said, deadpanned, and Maya laughed.

"Okay, sure." She rolled her eyes, "You don't have to lie about porn, Zacky. Although you know you don't have to go there to relieve yourself." She said, sitting almost in his lap.

"Right." Zack grumbled, and bit his lip, " So…Maya…"

"How are you?" She asked suddenly, "I mean, you were so understanding about Kennedy yesterday, and I forget that your brother's girlfriend died. I mean, you guys would have been siblings in laws one day."

Zack tried not to let himself wince at the comment, but could not stop himself from saying, "I really miss her."

Maya nodded. "I always knew you didn't hate her. It was just…" She shrugged, "Friendly hatred."

"I don't think that's a thing."

"You must be spending a lot of time with London and Woody and all, I hardly see you around anymore. I get that it must be comfortable around them, though." She said, and Zack couldn't help but feel like she was fishing for something.

"Actually no. I've hardly talked to them since…" He bit his lip, "Since the games began. I've made other friends."

"Oh?" Maya asked, and Zack felt a little hurt that she hadn't noticed his new group. Not that he was an overly sensitive guy, but it wasn't like they snuck around after dark!

"Yeah, you know, Splinter and Sophia." He said, "Splinter's become a really good friend."

It was the first time he really admitted it. He'd always had a best friend type with him, his brother. Cody had best friends in school, Zack had female fans and followers.

"Just friends?" She asked semi-playfully.

"No!" Zack rolled his eyes, the whole 'gay thing' now seeming so much farther away and insignificant; "Although without that…we wouldn't have become friends, so I suppose…"

"Wow. Zack finally sees the value of a friend."

"His family lives in Colorado near the mountains, and he wants me to come visit during winter break." He said with excitement.

"I don't know if I'd be comfortable going to his house though." Maya said uncertainly, and Zack opened his mouth, but closed it. He wasn't going to be a prick and come out with it and say 'You wouldn't be invited because I'm breaking up with you'.

Maya continued, "Besides. I've already planned for us to go and visit my grandparents in Ohio over spring break."

"Oh." Zack crinkled his nose. Maya looked stricken.

"What the heck, Zack? That's not a nice response!" She said.

"What's in Ohio?" He groaned.

"My grandparents!" She reminded sternly, and Zack made another groaning noise, to which Maya leapt up.

"Really?" She demanded hotly. Zack hadn't intended this to end with a fight, but perhaps that was best, so it didn't seem so one-sided. It wasn't like Zack had to act either, he didn't like her just flippantly planning things that he didn't want to do. He told her that.

"Couples do things together Zack!"

"No, couples plan things together. I have no desire Ohio over my spring break."

"Excuse me? These are my grandparents. My family. And you are being disrespectful right now."

"What's disrespectful is you planning an event that's still like seven months away! Who knows what the heck could change? Besides, I don't like being told I'm doing things." He said with a huff.

"You're planning to go to Splinter's already!"

"We're guys," Zack shrugged, "It was a passing comment. He's not holding me to something seven months away and wouldn't get pissy about it if I didn't come." He said, crossing his arms, "So there!"

Perhaps he was goading her a bit, using all his childish tricks he knew, and it was working.

"Oh? Okay? Maybe I don't believe that you're not actually gay because you would clearly spend a winter break with him snuggling up in the snow than snuggling up to your girlfriend!"

"It's probably to hot to snuggle in Ohio anyway!" Zack pointed out, loudly and obnoxiously, "Because who the heck knows anything about Ohio?"

"I do! My family!" She pulled her hair, "Either you agree to come to Ohio with me or…or…" Zack could see freedom in his reach.

"Or what? You're going to break up with me? Over a stupid state?" He asked.

"It's not about the stupid state Zack! It's about family!"

"Fine? What if I wanted to see my family instead?" He asked. Maya gave a sharp bark of laugh.

"Please. What family? You have a brother and two divorced parents. Two dead grandparents, two missing grandparents and no aunts or uncles. Who the hell would you be seeing other than who you'll be seeing all summer and school year?" She asked.

That was a rather low blow for him. First, she was wrong. His grandparents on his mother's side were not missing they just lived in Europe and held little contact with them, other than the occasional birthday card. And he had a few aunts and uncles and even cousins scattered everywhere. It just really showed that perhaps Maya and he were that much more incompatible, considering she never bothered to listen to his family's lives.

"Leave." He said opening the door, "I'm sure as not going to Ohio now. Not with you, not ever. I'm not going anywhere with you!" He said as a final word.

"Fine! I don't want you going anyway." She shrugged arrogantly, and didn't slam the door against his door on the way out by accident. He was pretty sure that the idea of the breakup was there, because Maya wasn't an idiot.

Maya probably assumed he would be in his room wondering what the hell he had just done, but instead he flopped on his bed, and the utmost feeling of relaxation cooled over his whole body. That had been coming to their relationship for quite a long time now. Perhaps it was already the beginning of the end from the start, and they were both too stubborn to see that they weren't made for anything more than a one-night stand.

He felt he should celebrate.

And for everything that he was annoyed with his brother sometimes, really, he felt that his brother deserved a nice night out without the interruption of a dead girlfriend or depressing things. It had been a long time since they'd seen eye to eye, talked as brothers, or done something together. They were previously preparing to separate the most they ever had, but for once, he craved the familiarity of his closet relative.

He went to search for his twin.

Cody was having an intellectual argument with Sophie.

"Ghosts, please." He scoffed, "And here I thought you were a reasonable person, Sophie." He said, the insult biting and acidic.

"You're just being unreasonable and thick-headed." She said calmly, "Cody, if you just believed-,"

"Believing. Like in Santa Clause. Or the tooth-fairy. Believing isn't going to bring my girlfriend back or your best friend."

"Well…" Sophie licked her lips, "Sorta…"

"No." Cody said in a hard sort of way, "Stop being so cruel. Bailey is gone. There's not souls that stick around behind, and it's not funny anymore."

"You think that I think it's funny?" Sophie stepped back, "It's not just your girlfriend, it's my best friend."

"Then perhaps you should be more respectful and not talk so poorly and childishly of her." Cody said with an air of regality, which Sophie shook her head.

"You think you know everything." She said, getting close to him, inches away, "You think that there is nothing compared to the brilliance of Cody Martin. But Bailey was. And there are things that your narrow-minded head could not comprehend." She stalked past him in a huff, and Cody hissed expletives at her retreating figure. The nerve!

Did she not know he would be going to Yale, and then most likely running the Tipton family business because London was a insufficient heiress to run an empire? He was going to do great things within the realms of this world, and not spend his time being so depressed that he literally began to imagine his dead girlfriend. He was seriously thinking about contact the nurse to see if she showed symptoms of insanity or delusions.

He quite literally walked into his brother.

"Hey, wanna grab some lunch?" Zack asked, in a particularly chipper mood.

"You hang out with Sophie, right?" Cody said, and Zack looked a little afraid.

"What happened?"

"She was going on and on about how Gemma, Kennedy, Camden, and Bailey were actually still around as ghosts and waiting for vengeance." He said, and Zack felt his whole body freeze.

"Do you…" He began. Cody threw him an incredulous look.

"Believe it? Hell no! She's crazy! That's what I was going to ask, if you noticed her going mad, because really it's annoying and rude!" He said. He gave his brother a glance, and Zack thought quickly.

"Yeah, none of us really believe her either. Few screws loose, right?" He lied, "Don't take it to heart."

Cody gave a loud snort. "Trust me, I won't be."

Zack didn't bring up that once indeed that had seen a ghost, in New Orleans, and Cody didn't doubt it then, but that was seemingly years ago, and now his brother held a persona of a child desperately trying to be an adult.

"So lunch, you were saying?" Cody prompted.

"Yeah! Lunch. I'm starved."

They found room at one of the less expensive, more relaxed places on the ship. After the waiter came by to get their orders, Cody frowned.

"I thought for sure Maya would be joining us." He said, "You two seem close."

"I sure as hell hope not. I just broke up with her." He said.

Cody studied him. "Thus the happiness. But I don't get it. You two seemed…real?"

"It was more or less a farce and one of us might have been drunk or high off something. It was far from good, and I just realized it. The last straw was when she came around demanding I go with her during my winter break to Ohio to see her grandparents, without asking me what I wanted to do." Zack described animatedly.

"What the heck is there to do in Ohio?" Cody asked, and Zack felt almost moved to tears.

"Cody…you get me." He said, touching his heart, "I knew we were related somehow." He reached out to tenderly, and jokingly, grab his brother's hand.

Cody brushed away his brother's hand that had reached out for his with a light laugh. "Besides. I knew you couldn't handle a real relationship for much longer."

At any other time, perhaps Zack may have been offended. Today, he just smiled and nodded. Their food came, and Zack gave a thoughtful hum.

"I think I grew during it though." He said with a perk of a smile. Cody paused from slathering his plate in ketchup to look up.

"Really?" He asked, and gave a smile, "I mean, that's really good, though!"

"Yeah. I re-grew my balls. I was so whipped when I was dating her!" Zack finished and Cody promptly threw a French fry at his face.

"You're incorrigible Zack." He sighed.

"I don't know the meaning of the word." Zack announced in a manly tone. Cody raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I seriously don't doubt that." He paused, "Let's be serious, though. I'm the one whose going to marry and create smart children and you…" He shrugged, "Well I remember quite vividly your opinion on marriage. I think once you called it the 'death of all joy'." He chuckled.

Yes, Zack recalled, a year or two previous, he had believed that marriage was the last legal form of slavery, the worst mistake any man could ever make, and yada yada yada. It wasn't like he really changed for Maya, did he? He once saw them together for a period extended past high school, but marriage? The idea was revolting to him, even at the time that the were semi serious dating.

Now bailey, if she were alive…

He couldn't even imagine, because she wasn't. It was all nice and romantic to imagine now he'd want to change and get married to her- outside like she wanted- but even he couldn't know that.

"And?" Zack asked, shaking away his thoughts.

"I guess I knew it wasn't going to last." Cody shrugged, "The more I think about it, and the less surprised I am. And I'm here for you bud. Even if you broke up with her, there are still a couple months of bonding and relationships you shared." Zack found the support nice, but a little creepy at his romantic ideals.

"Thanks." Zack said shortly, "And…" He sighed, "I'm there for you too."

Cody's eyes watered, and Zack berated himself. His brother was a water-bomb ready to blow at the slightest thought of Bailey. What was he doing bringing her up again? But then his brother caught himself, fanned his eyes with his hand a couple times, and composed his face.

"Thanks. I can't imagine going to Yale without her. It was our dream." He shook his head, "I'm a wreck without her."

"You're doing better than I thought you would." Zack said, "if that's any consolation."

Cody let out a low breath. "A few weeks ago, I thought I had it all planned out."

"Mh?" Zack asked as they got up, paid the bill, and started to walk back to their rooms.

"Yeah. Bailey and I would go to college. I would learn business and take over Tipton Industries beginning in a couple months. Bailey would become a nuclear engineer like she always dreamed and we would accomplish great things. You would probably bounce around, go to a school known for it's basketball or football, and get a decent degree but ultimately end up in the military. You would date Maya until you couldn't stand it anymore or until she got wildly popular as a graphic designer for some big company and dump you." Cody gave a frown, "How did all that change?"

"I may still end up in the military, don't count that out just yet." Zack saluted his brother, "Hey- I have a couple cases of beer hidden under my bed for emergencies or celebrations. May as well drink them now that we're going to be docking soon. Want to join? Bring Woody and London and Addison. It will almost be just like before."

Cody looked like he was going to reject the offer then he glanced to Zack's door. "What the hell. Why not? I may as well try my first beer!" He said. Zack lightly punched his brother.

"And this is why I never have to worry about telling you where I keep my drinks."

Zack didn't even think about inviting Splinter or anyone else in that moment. He wanted it to just be like before, free of ghosts and complications. He figured it was the last time he'd be with these people again, and didn't want to complicate it. No matter, Splinter was onto something.

He was alone when it all begun to make sense. Bailey was off looking for Sophie, which may be awhile. Splinter knew she had recently switched her reading spot since people clearly found her there. Camden and Kennedy were probably off doing something romantic or crude, neither of which Splinter wanted to think about. Reina was in her room resting. He figured that Zack must have broken up with Maya by now, almost three hours later, and was probably partying with Bailey in joyous pleasure, and he wasn't offended to not be invited.

To be honest, it was a quiet moment in his room of which he had not felt in a couple weeks. With two days left until they docked, he looked at his unruly closet and took the assumption this may be his only free-time left to pack. He pulled out his suitcase and looked at his closet. He may as well begin with the items that were still nicely packed at the bottom of the closet- underwear, socks, and his 'fancy clothes' his foster mother insisted he bring in case he meet a girl or decide to go to prom.

Splinter had made the decision not to attend, and spent it eating room service and watching movies, which to him was so much better spent.

As he was scooping out these items, his fingers touched something shaped like a glass bottle that he was fairly sure that he didn't put there to begin with. He pulled it out, and dropped it on the floor.

It was the wine bottle that had supposedly been drank by Kennedy and Reina, expect here it was perfect and still un-opened. Was he just imagining he had given it to her? Of course not. He had been the one to put the note on, and he was a bit giddy and over-excited, so perhaps something slipped his perception. He knew that he had to find Reina.

He marched down to her room, and banged on her door until she opened. She saw the bottle in his hand, and her eyes widened.

"What the hell is that." She asked, fear tinting her voice.

"The bottle I was supposed to give you. Where are they keeping the evidence for Kennedy's murder?" He asked, and Reina had thrown on clothes before he finished his sentence.

"Mosby's office. Kennedy told me." She said, and winced in the light, "That explains why it was poisoned. You think it was a replica?" She asked.

"I don't think it was the exact same brand, considering this is from Italy." He scoffed, "How could I have not seen it?" He asked.

"Love." Reina replied with a little chuckle, shaking her head, "Lucky for you, I am a master at picking locks." She announced proudly, and pulled two bobby pins from her hair.

He didn't believe her, until he heard the telltale click of the door as it swung open.

It wasn't hard to see where Mosby was keeping it, because it was marked in red lettering in a box. Clearly he thought that the killer (or snooping children) wouldn't be in his office to interfere. He may have been right about the killer, but Splinter was here for a different reason.

The bottle lay at the bottom, along with pictures and other samples from Kennedy's room.

Reina took the real bottle from Splinter, and he pulled on a pair of gloves from his back pocket, and lifted the fake out.

Now that he examined it, the label was a darn good representation of the real one. Unluckily, the label had been fairly abstract with simple colors and patterns, making the fake convincing from afar. The bottle was not exactly the right color in glass, which one would only notice when the two were put side by side, and the foil on top was something anyone could buy from a drugstore.

Reina was the one who found the most interesting point though. "Look. This was the real one you gave her. The note is still a little bit on it, and there's residue from where you taped it." She said, lifting the real one.

"Which means they were switched out after I gifted it." Splinter realized, looking at Reina, "I knew that I would have noticed!" He said with a snap of his fingers.

"Which means that the killer really was going for Kennedy…" Reina said in a hurt tone.

"Whose had access to Kennedy's room?" Splinter asked, and Reina shrugged.

"I'm not her roommate. Besides, she has a ton of girlfriends and isn't the most loyal dater. She has a lot of men in there too." Reina winced.

Splinter stole a piece of pen and paper from Mosby's desk, sat against the back, and begun to make a list of all the evidence or clues they had that weren't fitting together.

"I need to find Camden and ask him about his death again…" Splinter murmured to himself, "Do you want to come?" He asked. Reina was shaking.

"As fun as this is…I'm tired still, and there's a little to much…excitement for one day." She said, and he could tell that this was terrifying news to her, and didn't blame her.

"Okay. Rest well, Reina." He said, and they relocked Mosby's room, replacing the fake bottle back where they found it.

He found his door unlocked and slightly ajar when he came upon his room. He assumed it to be Sophie, because she spent more time than anyone else in his room, and he had given her Camden's room key. Did he maybe have a little thing for Sophie? Perhaps.

"Yo Sophie, you left the door open. Don't want just anyone walking in here." He jived as he swung the door open. But it wasn't Sophie. It wasn't anyone, actually. His room was torn to bits.

No, it was just his closet. He looked at the wine in his hand. The killer had come back for the one piece that would ruin her, and found it gone. A chill ran down his spine. She knew he had it; and now he wasn't safe. Where could he go? Mosby? Yeah, right. The safest option for him was to figure this out tonight, for his own safety and the safety of his friends.

He set the wine bottle on his desk, and took out the piece of paper and flattened out the folds he had made and stared at it, waiting for inspiration.

Perfume

Shirt

Camden's Death

Assassin

Wine

This girl was careful and precise. Four deaths, hardly four clues. She was careful and covered her tracks with precision. They hadn't really ever figured out the perfume thing, but that was for sure a hotspot, because Godrick hadn't been indicating any other clues when he was doing reconnaissance.

Godrick had relinquished the notebook that he'd been working out of, stating that for his own safety, Splinter should stop trying but nevertheless gave what he'd collected.

There were only a few girls left on the list of Zack's girlfriends that Godrick hadn't tracked down yet. He knew most of them vaguely, but none enough to track down right now. Except Maya, but he didn't think she would want to be bothered right now.

He first found Sophie, back in her original corner where she'd once hid.

"Haven't seen you all day." He said. She glanced up.

"Gemma wouldn't do something like that. She doesn't have it in her." She said, "But it's just going to be like her death all over again…"

"I don't know if she did or didn't, but I need you to do something." He said, being purposely vague. He would do this as much by himself as he could, because he didn't want anyone else to go down with him if he failed. This time, a life wouldn't be spared.

Sophie, intrigued, followed Splinter to exactly where he knew Camden would be with Kennedy. A janitor's closet.

How did he know? He'd made out with Kennedy here, and she told him that's where she and Camden used to go, and it gave her a rush of adrenaline. Kennedy wasn't the most honest or loyal girl, but she was attractive and a little manipulative, but that was all in the past. Splinter knocked, and gave them a minuet to adjust themselves.

Camden glared at Splinter meaningfully.

"I've almost got it." Splinter announced, "But there's some things I need to follow up on." He pulled a notebook and a couple pens from his bag, "Camden, I need you to write down exactly what happened the night you died- everything you remember and everything you remember seeing yourself as after. You saw it and then disappeared for a bit before scaring the living hell out of me, right?"

That was satisfying.

Camden agreed, but then he frowned, and wrote: All of it? Everything? Splinter could almost hear his whining. If he could simply talk, it would take maybe five minuets. It was strenuous asking him to write it all out, every last detail, but Splinter nodded.

"It may bring everything together." He nodded, "Sophie will sit here with you so you stay solid enough to write it in there. I'm going to ask someone else something."

Sophie gave a minor complaint, but opened her book. "Fine. You owe us one. I don't like being left in the dark."

"If I figure it all out, we'll all know. The whole ship will know." He assured.

He left the two ghosts and Sophie to find Reina. She, thankfully, was not sleeping but watching an episode of something on her laptop. Addison was out, she said, with Woody. It wasn't much of a bother to him. Addison wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, and if he spoke carefully in front of her, he was quite positive that she wouldn't have any idea about what he was talking about.

He immediately went to her closet, and found her shirts neatly stacked. "Uh…?" Reina growled with a raised eyebrow.

"This shirt." Splinter caught the bottom of the polo he knew she had, and pulled it carefully from the pile. He went and sat next to Reina's reclined figure, and she paused and set the laptop down.

"That shirt." She repeated, looking at Splinter for enlightenment.

"The day that Gemma died, Zack and I snuck into her room right after they found her. We found the perfume, and we found this." He pulled out the little slip of fabric from his wallet that he'd carried on him since that day. He turned the shirt around until he found the place where the insignia had once been, but carefully mended by Cody, "I don't think ti was you in Gemmas room that day." He said.

Reina shook her head. "That shirt re-appeared only recently." She said softly, "I wore it to a girl's night, and things often get stolen accidentally. Usually they show back up in people's suitcases or purses the next time people realize that it's not theirs. I was a little miffed it was ripped, though." She recalled.

"And any idea who could have taken it?" He asked.

"I never noticed any of my friends wearing it. I mean, it's a pretty common shirt that nearly all girls have. I just know it's mine because of this." She flipped the shirt over, and across the bottom seam in tiny letters was her initials in fine calligraphy sewing, "My mom's doing. She's artsy like that, and paranoid about people taking my stuff."

"Can you list for me the girls at the girls night previous to your shirt returning?" Splinter asked, taking out his pen and paper- previously Godrick's little notebook.

"Me, Kennedy, Addison, London-she doesn't usually attend, but she was there for some reason, Maya, Valisa, Tiffany, Bernadette, and Gemma." She listed, "The next time, everyone was there, besides London. Oh and Maya. She stopped by for just the beginning, because she had something going on."

"Thank you." Splinter said, closing the book, "You've been very helpful." He assured. He glanced at the screen, "You'll love the end of that episode." He chuckled. Reina gave a tentative smile.

"The good guys win, right?" She asked a little teasingly. Splinter nodded.

"Yeah. They always do."

He went back to the closet, where a very gruff Camden was waiting with a couple filled pages of notebook. "Sophie left because he was finished. Can you please leave now?" Kennedy asked pointedly.

I'll be in tonight to see if you have it figured out or not.

Camden's note was more polite. He nodded, and took everything back to his room.

Camden's notes were detailed, even after all this time, because who could forget how they died? He had come home angrily after the whole thing about Splinter and Kennedy. He'd confronted her, and she had denied everything, and it made him doubt if Splinter had been telling the truth. When he came to his room, he saw the door wide open and thought maybe the cleaners were late or Splinter had left it open carelessly. He was tired and knew he had a major test tomorrow, so he decided to go to bed early. The person, which now he realized was clearly a girl, jumped him from behind. They were wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and a sweater to hide the curves, and a mask with a lump on the side, which now he decided was her hair. She had gloves on, and yet she saw sloppy, but went right to cutting him to try to weaken him. The toe had been an accident, and she'd taken it assumedly after he died, because Splinter had never found it (thankfully) in his room. She'd seen Splinter's arrows against the door and he wasn't sure if it was to blame Splinter, or because the knife had been knocked under a bed. He was already loosing a lot of blood because of the arrow embedded in his neck, when she'd taken the tie from around his neck and dragged him to the closet. He'd been to weak to do anything, and when he woke up, he was dead hanging there, just as Splinter had found him.

He made a note at the bottom, commenting how she'd said (in a deep garbled tone) how she was doing this for Zack and Splinter twice, but Zack's name came first.

Splinter leaned back on the chair, and he thought of Bailey's death. The message on the arm. The killer was someone who was competitive, or felt like they were competing for something. He wasn't throwing out mental insanity and the idea that this really was a whole big game, but he assumed it was meant to be symbolic- the person felt like she was competing for something, for someone.

Splinter sized the lists of the perfume and the shirt and compared them. He thought of something Cody had talked about earlier, about what he was going to do when he grew up, and even back further, how once Gemma had shown him the list of what everyone said they wanted to do as their careers in the future.

He thought of motives for killing the four ghosts, and everything made sense.

He grabbed his phone, and texted Zack, and everyone else. This wasn't something you said over text message. This was something everyone needed to hear in person.

Back in Zack's room, the party was just finishing. Zack felt pleased with himself for a final hurrah before they all docked. They had even Skyped Marcus from wherever he was now, all big and successful, and he'd talked for an hour with London alone. Now, everyone was just sitting in a circle, half-drunk, and talking with each other which usually ended in slap-happy laughter.

Half an hour later, they were still doing just that. It was nearly two AM, and there was a knock on the door. Zack got up, assuming it to be Mosby, but was going to use his suave words and invite his sometimes friend for a drink with them. That's what people did with cops, right? Instead, he opened to find Maya. He expected a slap, perhaps, but not a kiss.

"What?" he gaped, "It's two AM."

"And I couldn't sleep without saying this, Zacky. I'm sorry. I was wrong. We'll decide together where we want to go, you won't go to Splinter's and I wont go to Ohio."

Zack stood, flabbergasted, as she continued, "And I know maybe you still need time to realize that I forgive you, and we can move on."

"Oh no, no." He shook his head, a little sloppily, "There's no 'we'. We broke up." He said, motioning between them. She gave a smile.

"We were in the midst of a fight. I know you didn't mean that. We'll overcome." She said positively, and kissed him on the cheek, "I should go. Goodnight baby." She said and scurried the other way. Zack slammed the door with an audible bang.

"Tell a girl we're breaking up, she thinks you were just 'angry'." He shook his head, "Dammit." He didn't want to go through this again, but he wasn't going to risk his neck and go track her down at this hour, so tomorrow he'd have to sit down and have a serious talk with her.

He started ending the party, as he was a little tired and Bailey had suddenly appeared through the wall (looking beautiful of course) and everyone had left within the half-hour.

He turned to ask Bailey something sexy, but her eyes were glued to the phone.

It was a text from Splinter. Dude I figured it out, but I need to tell you first, just you. Your clues put it all together. Meet me in the spot.

"Should I go with?" Bailey asked, "He sent that not long ago." She noted the time, "Fifteen minuets."

Zack contemplated things. "No." He sighed, shaking his head, "I think when he meant alone, he was serious. We'll all know soon enough, right?" He kissed her head, and made the careful journey down to the bathroom and opened the door.

He didn't speak as he made his way down, and at first didn't see Splinter in the dark. All the lights were off, and he wondered if he misread their 'spot'. Then, he saw a shadow to his left out of the corner of his eye.

He found the light switch with a growing dread, and somewhere deep inside of him, Zack already knew what he would find. And he was tired of it. He was done.

Because Splinter was lying on the ground, and in front of him in chalk lay the words 'He didn't have a target, but you could be my next.' Next to the words was a crumpled sheet of paper, with a wide red 'X' drawn through it. Underneath the 'x' he saw the instructions to the assassin game with he bolded words indicating the target to be Jonas S. Daniels.

Zack had never questioned Splinter on his real name, honestly because he thought there wasn't one, but in reality, he knew there had to be something. And he knew Jonas was Splinter, and the 'x' meant that this person was eliminated from the fucked up game.

"Jonas?" Zack called, as if saying his real name would suddenly spur him to life again, or his ghost. He turned Splinter over. He almost had no signs of his death on him, his flesh was still warm and face not quite too pale, except for the growing pile of blood from a wound over his heart.

"Dude, you gotta wake up." Zack said, his voice clogging, "C'mon, please. You know who it is. You gotta tell me. You have to. So I can kill her for you. For Bailey." He pulled Splinter's head into his lap, "Dude…" He spat out painfully, "Please. Splinter, where are you?" He looked around.

His whole body was numb. It was almost worse than when Bailey died, because she was there the whole time. Now, there was the feeling of emptiness, of nothing left of Splinter anywhere.

Zack sat there all night, and didn't sleep at all. He didn't move Splinter's head from where he had held it, or wipe away the blood that was turning brown and crusty underneath his nails. He waited all night for Splinter's ghost to appear, but it did not.

That's when Zack realized he didn't want the ghost for revenge, he wanted the ghost because he wanted his best friend back. And the rebellion to find this person, to bring justice that Splinter had spearheaded the whole time, died.


	10. Chapter 10

It took the group longer than Zack thought it would to locate him early that morning. It was approximately 8 AM when the door was slammed open, and everyone ran down.

Cody emerged first, and he looked at Zack holding Splinter, and there was a flash of both relief and shock across his face. Zack knew they all assumed him to be dead by this point.

Sophie came next, gasping and shaking all over at the sight of Splinter. It wasn't particularly graphic, but she could hardly hold the note in her hands before it fell shakily to the ground. Cody caught her before she collapsed. Zack had always wondered if there was a growing something between the Splinter and Sophie, and perhaps now he knew. The look on her face was the look on his when Bailey died.

Godrick came next, hobbling with a long stick that Zack wasn't quite sure on where it was found in the middle of the ocean, and he just muttered 'I told you all' under his breath. Reina, who came next, slapped him across the face, glaring at him with reproach, before gently touching Sophie's shoulders.

The ghosts came last in a group, and Zack desperately wanted to see Splinter among their numbers, but there were only three.

"Where's his ghost?" Kennedy asked, looking around. She looked to Zack, who gave a helpless shrug and slow shake of his head.

"Zack, have you been here all night?" Cody asked over Kennedy's next question, alerting everyone to the fact that he still could not see or hear the ghosts. Bailey winced, and went to stand right in front of him, but he saw nothing.

"Yes." Zack replied, his voice sounding hard and strangled.

"You're wearing almost as much blood as he is." Godrick said, frowning, "I hate to say I was-,"

"If you say you were right one more time, I'll add another black eye to that collection!" Reina cried angrily.

"I hate that I was right though!" Godrick defended himself childishly, reminding everyone of his immature age in comparison.

"Then keep it to yourself." Sophie sniffed sourly, and she crawled to Zack and touched Splinter's hands.

"Whose going to tell Mosby about this one?" Reina asked, lowering her head.

Cody glanced around. "Not Zack." He shook his head, "I…I will." He offered, twiddling his thumbs, "I'll say I wanted to come down where Bailey died and I found him this morning, long dead." He said, with a little shrug, and Zack couldn't express his gratitude. He didn't even think he could walk at this point. There was a held-breath to the room, that only softened once Cody exited with a grim look on his face, and the ghosts were free to exchange information with the living.

"How did you know he was down here? Lucky guess?" Godrick asked, tilting his head.

"He sent me a text." Zack said, throwing his phone to Sophie, who read it out-loud to everyone.

"So did he actually figure it out?" Sophie asked after finishing, looking at Zack.

"Wouldn't know. Already dead, and I haven't seen his ghost. Is it normal for him to wait this long to appear?" He asked frantically, looking at the three ghosts. All three gave the sad confirmation that they appeared almost as soon as they had died.

"Maybe the killer wanted you to see this and sent that message from his phone. Maybe he didn't figure it out." Reina offered.

"She just magically knew what our place was?" Zack asked.

"If she is careful and devoted, she'd know that we come to this place to think and all." Reina shrugged.

I doubt she sent the message. His phone is literally the most freakin impossible thing to hack. It's like military grade stuff! Camden threw his board in to the middle of the group, really the only way to catch people's attention when he had something to say.

"So the killer made him type that?" Reina pressed on.

"He'd rather die. I know deep down he knew who it was." Sophie spoke softly, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Why'd he want you to come here though? Why not his room?" Godrick asked, frowning. Reina explained the situation with the wine bottle.

"I think he didn't think his room was safe." She finished, "And I think he also had a breakthrough with the shirt." She explained his excitement at her tee-shrit and list of girls. Kennedy broke in and explained for Camden that he'd written down how died and all. They searched, and found the bloodstained notes in his pocket. It was sparse, and all tried to piece it together, but between what they could no longer read and Splinter's vague notes, it was impossible. No one knew what sparked the realization, and Splinter was no longer here to explain.

Cody sent a warning stating that Mosby was on his way, and they decided to scram. Zack waited around the corner, sinking to his butt, and waited for something, but he didn't know what. Perhaps it was to find his brother standing over him, and offering him a hand.

"I know Splinter meant a lot to you, I've never seen you so happy with a friend before. I was glad you were branching out from me, a little." Cody gave a soft smile, "Now…perhaps we really understand each other."

"What do you mean?"

"You understand what it was like to loose Bailey now." Cody gulped, "To lose a best friend."

Zack sighed. He couldn't be totally honest with his brother, but he was going to try. "Cody, I don't know if you realize, but Bailey and I…we were good friends. I didn't hate her, and by senior year, we understood each other a little. I was really hurt by her death too." He said.

Cody seemed to jump a little. "Really? I never…noticed…" he frowned, "Then again, I feel like there was a lot I didn't notice…" He shook his head, "I knew it was failing. I just hoped we could overcome it. We both got jealous over stupid things."

"So you and Reina…?" Zack prompted, still unsure if that was legitimate or not.

"I think she's attractive, yes. I helped her, and I realize now it seemed really shady, but I didn't hook up with her. I kissed her…once." He admitted after a long moment. Zack pretended to look at something on his shoe, but sent a quick glance back to make sure Bailey wasn't around.

Thank god. She wasn't.

"But it wasn't enjoyable like I hoped, or a stick-it-to-ya as I thought it could be. I just felt…wrong." He explained.

"Cody." Zack sighed, "You can't dwell on Bailey forever. I know it's not even been that long yet, but just remember…she's dead. If you think Reina's attractive, there's nothing holding you back, and Bailey wouldn't want you to pine forever."

You should take your own advice, Zack! The nagging voice in the back of his head taunted him, and he shut them away. His situation and his brother' situation were two completely different problems.

"I know. But I can't go for Riena, things are broken between us. Even if Bailey is gone, Reina was what put that rock between us that broke her away totally…that made her go down there and be killed. It would feel like a horrible betrayal."

"And really, just let me be." Cody continued, "I thought I was going to marry her. Even when it was bad, I still thought that maybe it would happen so…don't marry me off to anyone just yet." He said, lightly punching his brother in the shoulder. Zack gave a little smile, and sighed.

"Here's my room…" He nodded, and looked down at himself, "I'd better wash up." He said, looking at the caked blood.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to stand too long here anyway. Someone might see." Cody said, then frowned, "Although, it will all be news soon. But you don't want to make yourself a suspect."

"Me? Killing Splinter?" Zack growled, shaking his head, and sourly slammed the door. He knew Cody was right- it wasn't good for him to be standing in the middle of the hall covered in blood hours before anyone else knows about another murder. And he and Splinter didn't exactly begin as friends…

He threw his clothes in the middle of the floor, and he took a shower. When he returned, he looked at the suitcase where he'd have to begin to pack up his life, but then sat down to play some video games.

But even that was too painful for him, for as soon as he turned on the counsel, Splinter's Gamer tag blinked back at him. Splinter was the type that always forgot to log off, and so often his tag blinked for hours before he realized his error. Now it was just a taunt. Soon someone would go and turn it off, and it would blink out for good.

Angrily he dismantled the game and put it in the box it came in, ready to be packaged away to some college or storage area, wherever he may go next. When he had told his mother he wanted to take a break from school, recently, even though he'd been accepted a couple places, she didn't understand. School was a place where more than a few of his good friends had died, and wherever he went, he felt as though he'd be haunted by the memory and sickness that they would never get this chance.

Finally, that's what he spent the remainder of his day doing; cleaning his room. It was what they were all supposed to be doing anyway, with the ship disembarking tomorrow. His mother would come in and expect everything still strewn across the ground, but he would have it all packed away. The boxes sat at the end of the halls for students to package away memories.

Zack did not let anyone in his room.

Bailey made a couple appearances, but she realized quickly he was in no mood for talking. She would help him pack, and laughed a bit saying that if she had been helping Cody, he would be having a migraine. Everything had to go in a place that he decided, and even if he told her one place, he'd likely go back and replace it later. This elicited a small smile from Zack, but no comment or sneer.

She went out a couple times, to where he didn't care, and sourly wished that everyone would just stay away. Couldn't they see he couldn't take it anymore? It begun with Bailey- that was a hard blow. Then friends begun to die. Now it was Splinter, who on his own his death would have been very depressing, but in combination with all the others, it was devastating.

"Splinter, man, you gotta come back." Zack said, standing in his half-packed room, "You're a good guy, and I swear to God if you're just 'waiting for the right moment' I will kill you again!" He cried at the ceiling, shaking his fist in the air, trying to get Splinter's ghost to make a reaction, but the room was silent and still.

It wasn't just the mystery that they had bonded over. Splinter had been rough in a way that Zack never had been. Bounced around through foster homes, until he got a Scholarship to this place. He was smart, like Cody, but lazy like Zack. His lazy side, for things he found to be dis-useful, was something that they easily related too. Splinter had been teaching him defensive techniques, and Zack had wondered if he'd learned it to survive on the streets.

Splinter had asked, in his deadpanned sort of way, if Zack was an idiot. He had been in a foster home, not a gang or the mafia. But yet he had stories that made him feel like a pirate or vagabond. He wasn't afraid of things like Cody, but he was just as quiet. It was as if someone had taken out all the things that he admired (although he would never admit it) in his brother and the part of himself that Zack loved the most, and put it into a person.

To think that Zack had almost gone four years without knowing this kid was crazy. Maybe if they were friends longer…it wouldn't have happened like this? Maybe if they had already been friends, the newspaper story wouldn't have been so shocking, so painful and bitingly false that had been the whole catalyst. Maybe if they had been friends, Zack would have kept Splinter sober that night that he kissed Kennedy to cheat on Camden, or convinced him to keep it a secret. Maybe if they were still friends, Zack could have talked with him about the wine thing and convinced him this bird wasn't worth it…So many regrets.

His mother had always told him to live life without regrets, yet here he was, almost drowning in them.

In another life, which Cody was into that sort of thing, maybe he and Splinter had been best friends for longer, or even brothers? Maybe it was his final time around the wheel, and that's why he wasn't here. Maybe…he had found peace. That's all Zack really wanted for anyone that was a ghost. He'd rather have Bailey peaceful on the other side than watch her hang around here, as much as he wanted her to stay.

Around dinner, everyone was called down to the auditorium. Zack chose not to go, and he figured that Mosby wouldn't do a head-count. But human nature is curiosity, so he expected everyone else to pack themselves into the ship's lower decks.

It seemed that Sophie had the same idea he had. She knocked on his door. "What?" He demanded angrily.

"We should look for clues now, while everyone is preoccupied." She said, and he could tell she'd been crying for a long while because of the red rings around her eyes, yet she seemed much more put together than he was.

"No." Zack shook his head, "I'm done." He said simply. Kennedy floated through the wall, looking at him incredulously.

"What do you mean 'you're done'?" She demanded, grabbing his shirt. He shoved her away, and half-closed his door.

"What's the point?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders, "Tomorrow we all go our separate ways. She's won. The killer." He sighed, admitting defeat.

"So you're just going to let him die in vain?" Sophie's words were like pins poking into his flesh, carefully pushing down.

"Who are we kidding? We're a group of teenagers. It's been proven that whenever we think we know something, bad things happen."

"Scardy-cat." Kennedy bared her teeth, "You just want to save your own skin, huh?"

"For once in my life, I'm being realistic." Zack said, heaving a breath, "We can't win." He murmured.

"But…but…we have those clues…and…" Sophie sputtered, staring at him with disbelief.

"You go ahead, but let's be real. We're not going to figure it out. Splinter looked at the world in a different way that none of us can. He was perceptive. Godrick is our best guess for a second choice, but we cant' ask him to risk his life again."

"Your brother, Cody! He's smart too!" Sophie defended, and Zack raised an eyebrow.

"But he's not a genius, he's not Sherlock Homes, and he's just a fact memorizer and occasionally good at math. He can't ace this test." Zack begun to close his door, but Sophie shot her hand in between the door and the wall.

"Hold up. Your brother has been pouring over those notes for hours! He hasn't even begun packing yet! He didn't even like Splinter, or really know him, but when someone he loves dies, he's going to do something about it!" Zack gave a little flinch at the harshness of her words, but he shoved her out of his room.

"I told you. I'm done." Zack said, "Now leave me the fuck alone." He slammed the door hard in her face and locked the doors, and slid against the door. He stared at the bare hollows of his room, pockets of carpet that hadn't seen sunlight since his first day, and the gathering emptiness seemed to echo all along the room, and mostly through the empty spaces in his heart for Bailey and Splinter. Two friends that if things had been ever slightly so different, the pair may have been in here with him, laughing at the moldy sandwiches under his bed or asking how long it had been since he'd done laundry, and other things. Cody may even be here too, maybe over Bailey and dating Reina. Or something.

And was it childish to act like this? He realized it totally was. He realized that he was being a jerk, and an ass, and that any self-righteous and good person would go out and comfort friends and continue what they started, but Zack most of the time wasn't a good person.

Cody presumably tried to contact him and talk to him throughout the day. His had purposely shut his phone off, and once someone banged on his door. He wasn't stupid though, and refused to answer it. The person said it was Mosby, but he didn't even trust that. Cody had picked up enough of his slyness in school to have a recording of Mosby, to get access to places easily. That was like a baby's trick.

So his door stayed shut.

Besides, what would Mosby want with him? He hadn't been out of his room all day so there was no way that any havoc created was his fault. Really, Mosby should check his facts.

Bailey came and lay on the other side of the bed, that night, and from the way she shook her head, it was clear that she had been out looking for Splinter, but she didn't find him. Finally, at around midnight, Zack rolled over. Almost everything in his room was torn down, sans a couple things charging or clothes that he didn't know where to put, or the garbage pile by his door that he wouldn't take outside incase Cody cornered him. He sighed, and she blinked at him.

"Do you even need to sleep?" He asked softly. She slowly shook her head, but shrugged.

"It's nice to pretend I'm alive, though. I can, if I force myself, but I don't need to." She replied. Zack's fingers found hers and intertwined.

"Bailey." He said softly, one word, one syllable. She fixed her soft green eyes on him, and tilted her head. He drew in a harsh breath.

"What's going to happen after we leave?" He asked.

"Well, I'll go to my funeral and stick around with my parents, maybe one of them can see and-," She begun but he clenched his fingers around hers, stopping hers.

"I don't mean right after. I mean…the future."

"Since when does Zack Martin think about things like the future?" She teased gently, but there was a hurt expression in her eyes.

"Since I met you." He whispered honestly. There was silence, "I think we should find a way to send you on." He said.

"On?" She asked, and he rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling, but she got the idea.

"Zack…what if I don't want to?" She asked.

"It's moving on, Bailey. It's best for you." He insisted, his voice clogging in his throat.

"Don't say things like that. I know what's best for me." She said, her eyes wide as saucers and tears dribbling down her cheeks.

"Then what's best for you?" He asked.

"To be with people who love me." She used one arm to pull him close, and he swallowed hard. He pressed his forehead against her own, and sighed.

"I'm not the only one who does, though." He whispered.

"What? You want me to mourn around my family or Cody? At least with you, you won't treat me..like..like…" She sputtered sourly.

"No, I'm saying maybe Camden's right about the New York thing. Bailes, if you can't move on, maybe you should go with him." There was a deeper pain spreading in her eyes, and her lip quivered.

"Zack…don't you want me still?" She asked.

"Bailey, you know I would stay with you forever, but Bailey…I'm not your kind anymore." He said, putting his hand on her heart where there was no beat. And he held his hand up to the light spilling out from the porthole, and if he tilted it, it was almost translucent. She followed his gaze, her expression deepening.

"Since when did you get so wise, Zack?" She asked quietly, "The Zack I met before would have selfishly taken me all for himself." She mused, although this time there was no laugh. Zack pressed her fingers to his lips and sighed.

"I love you so much that I can't stand the idea of you trapped with me." He replied, and felt something breaking inside of him.

Bailey rolled over, and sighed. "I know. I just wish…I can't trap you either." She said.

"Me?" He questioned, "Trap me?" He gave her a confused look.

"With me around, you'll never love someone again. Someone who can live and die with you, give you children." She said.

"Bailey, I don't want any of that. I just want what's best for you. I could care less. I don't think I'll ever love someone as I do with you." He said. Bailey gave him a sad look.

"I thought there would be nothing after Cody and I fell, but I was wrong." She said, "You will find someone."

"So…you go with Camden and Kennedy to New York, and visit often." He said with a weight lifted off his chest.

"No…I can't…Zack if I do this a little, I do it all the way." She said, and pulled herself against him, "I can't come back and see you. It will hold both of us down. I can't…until we've both moved on…"

"That could be…years…" He whispered, his brows crinkling. He loved her enough to know that not tying her to himself was best, but was he really selfless enough to push her away completely, even if it was best for both of them? He felt his own endurance break, and she didn't say anything when his shoulders began to shake.

"This sucks." He murmured against her head, and she pressed her nose into his collarbone, teary eyes on the warmth of his skin.

"For once, you're right though." She replied, "I don't know if your twin would have the courage to say that."

"I wish I wasn't right." He shook his head, "I wish I was wrong about everything, Bailey."

Bailey was silent.

The next morning, when Zack woke, there were sounds of cars and traffic, and he knew they had docked. Bailey stretched from the bed, and turned to him.

"I'm going to find my parents. And then the rest of the ghosts and talk with them…" She paused, "We may not see each other until my funeral. You'll be there?" She questioned, turning her head.

"Wouldn't miss it." He promised, and kissed her one last time. She bit her lip.

"Then, I'll go to the other funerals and maybe stay a bit with you…then I'll probably leave for New York." She murmured, and Zack nodded. In just a couple hours, their time had went from eternity to zilch, although both sides were in agreement. He opened his door to find some breakfast and she disappeared into the wall.

Cody was just coming back. "Hey! Mom and dad said they'd be here around three to help us move out." From the faux cheeriness his brother was exulting, Zack could tell he was trying to be sad or remind Zack of Splinter.

"I have some stuff to do." Zack nodded, "But yeah…" he looked at his brother, and Cody shuffled his feet.

"Zack…I'm here for you." He said in one big breath, before his brother could stop him, "You lost both Bailey and Splinter. I didn't know him, but I knew how you guys were close and I can't imagine the type of person that would do this to us. But really, dude, it's okay to be sad."

Zack glared at his brother, but at the same time, it was a bit comforting. Sure he'd shut everyone out yesterday, but hearing someone say that was a relief.

Cody was not done talking, "So…I know that we were going to spend the summer with our girlfriends, but now that we're two bachelors, why don't we spend our summer together?" He asked. Zack tilted his head, "We can take a car and go wherever. You can sneak me into bars, and I can win us money by outsmarting people." He said.

Zack considered it. "Anywhere?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I thought we'd start in California." There was a smirk on Cody's lips, something that was not common there, but God it made Zack laugh. That was…maybe exactly what he needed.

"I'll have to get you used to drinks, baby bro." He said, cracking a smile and ruffling Cody's hair, "I can't have you so drunk that you fall into girls and barf all over them."

"Oh, please." Cody chuckled, then raised a hand for a high five, "For at least one summer, the Martin Twins will rule the world." He said and Zack shook on it.

He was noticeably happier at breakfast, now that there was some meaning and fun. He would teach Cody everything he'd refused to learn, so that when Cody went to college, he may actually get a few girls into his dorms, or not be a social outcast from the first day. People will of course realize in due time that he was not the total package all around, but maybe Zack could give his brother one last gift of wisdom, as he had attempted to do years before.

He went back to his room to pack for a couple hours after that, and was surprisingly finished long before three. He decided to find Sophie and apologize for the way he acted the night before, and hoped she'd understand. Of course, though, he had to pass Maya's room. He didn't find this too be overly worrisome, until Maya waved him inside.

Giving a valiant effort not to be a jackass anymore, he let her pull him in.

"Would you like to help me pack? Then I can help you." She said, boxes still littered everywhere.

"Oh…I'm done actually." He said, and looked at the box she was currently packing. All her trophies for various things. From sports to competitions, first place across the board. He chuckled; Maya had a thing about loosing.

"Really?" She laughed, "I don't believe you." She said, and he handed her a trophy. Something was off.

"You're awfully nice with me after-," He begun but she looked up.

"Oh, well, lover's quarrel." She dismissed it and Zack paused. He looked at her, so calm and blasé. He realized that she was under the impression that they were still dating. Awe…shit…

"Maya." He said firmly, "We broke up."

She set a trophy in the box, and frowned. "Zack, it was a stupid fight." She shrugged, "And we both said stupid things but surely you don't mean them." She assumed.

"Some…yeah, I did." He said, and he began to make his way by the door. It wasn't that he was planning on running…but he wanted to be careful. Those trophies could really hurt if they were thrown by someone.

"I don't…" Maya's brows furrowed, and she looked like he had shot her.

"Maya. I broke up with you, and I meant it." He said, "I'm done."

"Zacky, sweetie…" She said, trying to stand up to touch his arm, "Please…we had a summer planned. The Keys? Canada? Summerfest?" She said, her voice growing an octave higher with each word.

"Not anymore. We never bought anything, just had plans." She looked about to break out in tears, and he gently took her shaking hands, "I just…fell out of love."

"People can fall back in love!" She said, gripping his wrists, "We were meant for each other!"

"The old me, maybe." He agreed, because to the old him, that was all that he ever wanted.

"What changed?" She demanded shrilly.

"This semester, people died. My friends died." He said, not going to open the can of words named 'Bailey', but nevertheless she was his friend, "And I realized that we weren't going to cope. I know it seems like a bunch of unrelated stuff, but Maya…" He ran a hand over his face, "I need to spend time with my family." He said.

"Okay, we'll go with your family and then-,"

"No Maya." He said, "Not you. Me. Alone." Her face changed, and she just looked like he had hit her now, " I need to spend time with Cody. We need to be brothers again, and I need time to process this semester." He said.

"So you're leaving me…for Cody?" She hissed, grabbing her hands from his, "Yesterday it was Splinter, today it's him?"

"Don't say it like that, ew." Zack shivered, "But…yeah…He's my twin. We are blood." He left it at that and backed out, "I'm dead serious Maya. We're over."

He didn't turn to see her reaction. Sophie was not in her room, but he knew where to find her. She was indeed in Splinter's room, sitting on the sink, staring at her own reflection.

"Sophie…" He sighed, and frowned, "It's over today…" He said, and looked around, meaning it much differently than when he'd said it to Maya. Camden was currently absent, and their room was untouched. It was like the pair still lived in this room, but it wasn't like that at all because both were dead. Clothes still hung, toothbrush still on the sink counter, a half-downed can of Mountain Dew next to the desk…all the signs of life, but no one to live in it.

"I'm taking his sweatshirt. Do you think he'll mind?" She asked hollowly, and he spied an overly large sweatshirt on her small body.

"Did he know?" He asked, referring to her affections.

"I…don't know…" She said, and turned to press her face on the mirror, "Not everyone gets a second chance to express his or her emotions." She muttered sourly, but he didn't take the anger seriously.

She pressed her hands against her stomach, bending over. "It hurts." She whispered softly, "I wake up wanting him to be alive and god, he's not. I fall in love swiftly, but he was the first honestly good guy in awhile…I had a thing for the delinquents, Gemma always said. I lost my best friend, I lost the one I love…" She looked at him, and frowned, "But you did too." She realized.

He went and sat on the very end of Splinters bed, and she joined him. They talked together about him, and laughed a bit.

"I think I'm gong to take a year off too." She decided after he told her about his plans.

"And go where?" He asked. She lay back, thinking.

"Somewhere where I'm not constricted. This boat is a floating prison, sort of. Maybe Kansas where it's just flat and empty for miles and miles." She said. He laughed.

"You pick anywhere in the world, and you choose Kansas?" He laughed, "Why not like Hawaii?"

"It's an island." She replied.

"Well, Florida. Then you have the sea around you, but it's filled with places to go." He said.

"Old people live in Florida. And alligators." She said, throwing a sour face, "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Well, Cody and I are going to go all over. I suppose I'll find a place that feels right, and stay there." He said.

She gave a little smile, "Maybe I'll join you. It would be nice to have someone who understands. We can split the cost of an apartment, or something." She said, and she held her breath.

Zack answered instantly, "I would love that, actually. Then my roommate wouldn't find it odd to see me talking to walls if Bailey ever visited." He laughed.

"Bailey told me about your decision. I was with Camden." She said, and gently touched his hand, "I don't know if I could be so strong. She's lucky, Zack." She said. Zack jerked his hand away.

"Yeah…well…" He muttered, "I guess I'll see you at Graduation tonight." He said, "I should go and finish packing up the little things before my parents arrive." He said. She nodded, and stood, "I should say goodbye to this place." He wasn't sure if she meant to boat or the room, but either way, he left her to her farewell.

It was just about three when he was done, and his parents called to say that they were going to be there within the hour. He was hungry again, and either way Cody would be done and get food with him or need his help packing. He knocked on the door, but Woody said he hadn't been back for a bit. But from the looks of it, his room seemed nearly done, but Woody had said he said he might have gone to thank his teachers. Seems like something Cody would do, of course, so Zack sat outside his door and threw a bouncy ball against the wall.

Five minuets, and it was okay. Ten minuets, and Cody must have lost track of time. Woody went to find his parents at about half an hour after three, Zack decided to go and drag his brother from the classroom. His parents would be there soon.

When he was running through the halls, mostly deserted, as the check-out time was one and most children had left early to spend a day with parents before the graduation, he ran into the one person he'd been looking for. Well, not looking for currently, but the one person he'd been looking for long-term.

"Gemma!" He gaped, grabbing her wrist a moment after they collided, "I've literally been looking for you for months! We all have!" He couldn't believe his luck. She tried to wrench her arm away, but he clasped her arm harder.

"Get off!" She hissed, her fingernails clawing at his grip.

"Nuh-uh." She was the one person that maybe could piece this whole thing together. He owed it to Splinter, he realized, that now the opportunity was here, that he should try.

"If you don't take your hand off to me right now, I swear to God-," She growled as he hauled her to a quiet sitting area sheltered in an alcove.

"It wasn't a suicide." He stated bluntly, and looked at her. She went frozen, and then narrowed her eyes.

"Not in the end." She said carefully, her eyes slits and teeth bared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, almost letting her go, but remembered at the last second she could bolt and he would never figure this out.

"Why should I tell you anything?" She asked hotly.

"Because people have fucking died. I don't know if you heard, but it's not just you and Camden anymore." He said.

"I don't care. I'm not saying a word to you, you pathetic excuse of a human being. Not when you still hang around with her." Yes…she did like him…of course the idea of him being with Bailey was probably upsetting.

"Look, I really love her," he began which just made her look disgusted, "And really, I know I've been an ass, but I just had to be with her. Despite what she is." He said, "And I lied, I know, I wasn't honest, but I am now!"

"What she is?" Gemma repeated, her eyes flaming, "She is a monster and you two deserve each other then!"

"Hey!" Zack jerked Gemma toward him, "Bailey's a ghost not a monster. She hasn't hurt anyone and she didn't chose it!" He defended angrily, his face inches from hers. She jolted back.

"Bailey? Why in the world do you think I'm talking about Bailey?" She asked.

It was Zack's turn to look confused. "Why should I think you're not talking about her…" He asked slowly.

"I'm fucking talking about Maya." She said almost tearing herself from his grip.

"Maya?" he repeated, "But you two are friends, I thought? And anyway, you haven't been around in a while because I'm not hanging around her anymore. We broke up."

Gemma managed to tear herself away, but she didn't run. "You broke up with Maya?" She echoed.

"I feel like there's a lot of misunderstandings between the pair of us." Zack observed, and then nodded, "Yeah. I did a couple days ago, but geeze is she hard to get rid of!"

"Wait, wait!" Gemma waved her hands, "You…broke up…with Maya…and she was okay?" She repeated.

"Well, not really, but hey…she was in love with me. I'm irresistible." She frowned, and he realized it wasn't time for jokes, "No really. I mean, I think she thought I had found someone else- well Bailey, but she's dead anyway so…still, I told her that I was going to spend winter break at Splinter's whose also dead, and she was upset, but then Splinter died and she thought we were still okay, but I decided to spend this summer with Cody and break up with her for good because I really just don't love her anymore." He said in a rush.

"You broke up with her…because you don't' love her?" Gemma seemed really confused.

"Is there another reason I should?" He raised an eyebrow. Gemma seemed to be muttering his answer under her breath, then she snapped her head up, eyes wide.

"Zach…where's Cody?" She asked. He looked at his watch.

"He was supposed to meet me like forty-five minuets ago, which is not like him, I mean you've met him. Anal retentive and never late and all. I was going to find him." Gemma sucked in a hard breath and grabbed Zack's hand.

"We need to find him. Like right now!"

Zack was really not understand things now, "Oh, okay…uh…"

"If your brother had to say goodbye to one place on this ship, where would it be?" She demanded, snapping her fingers in his face.

He thought, and she gave a frustrated moan, "Faster!"

"I'm thinking!" He snapped back, and then gasped, "The big bath room. Bailey and he met there, and she died there." He said.

"Yes. She died there and so did someone else. It's clearly a familiar spot for murder." She said, and Zack's blood went cold.

"Awe shit, Cody you walked right into this…" He moaned, and then sped off racing down the hall. Gemma only caught up with him for her ability to morph through walls, taking the bird's flight path instead of weaving through the corridors.

"I was such an idiot!" Zack cussed himself, "How did I not see this?"

"Splinter did." Gemma said, out of breath, and then motioned for the pair to stay quiet as they went down the stairs. The door was already ajar and there were faint thumping noises. Gemma's face was knit deeply into a frown.

He went down first, into the thin light that was spread out across the immense room, and his footsteps echoed.

"Zack…" A voice said from the darkness, "I didn't expect to find you here." Zack went solid as he heard the murderer's voice.

"He had help." Gemma said, stepping by his side, "You will pay in hell, Maya." She said.

Maya stepped into view, a gun in her hand. "You said today that you were dead serious, and so am I." her expression was wild, feral. Something wasn't right in her eyes. She was unpredictable now, "Well is blood thicker than water, Zack?" She asked, and Gemma threw the lights on across the room. When the lights flickered up, he saw Cody lying by the edge of the pool, a thin trickle of blood dropping and making circles in the water.

"Maya…what the actual fuck?" It was really the only words he could think to say, "Where did you get a gun?" He asked. It looked like his brother hadn't been shot anywhere, and he knew that guns was too easy for her. She'd drown, hung, bludgeoned and more, and to just shoot Cody would be too easy.

"A girl has her secrets." She said in a feminine voice, "Zacky."

"Don't call me that." He wined. Gemma had snuck up behind Maya, and knelt by Cody.

"He's breathing still, Zack!" She cried frantically, and Zack let his guard down. That was a mistake, because at once, she was on top of him, gun against his head.

"Why? That's my brother!" he said, struggling, but she pressed the gun to his temple with more force.

"Zack…" She leaned down and kissed him, and he spat it back at her, "Don't you understand? I did this for us. I did this for you. All of it." She said, and he realized that she honestly thought that killing people was going to keep them together.

"Wh…at?" He asked, trying to recall the killings, but it was hard when there was a gun invading his thoughts.

"You're glad you're cute," She giggled, and nuzzled his nose, "Camden and Kennedy made a fool out of you. Gemma too, and she loved you too much. I can't have others loving you."

"That's why you got to Bailey." He said, and kicked against her, "You son of a bitch. I didn't even kiss her when she was alive!"

"But you wanted too. Zack, temptation is hard, I understand, but now you see that we have to be together. Splinter can't take you and neither can your brother." She whispered in his ear, "I'm all you have left." She murmured. He resisted the urge to barf.

"I will never touch or see you again!" He said resolutely, "That's not how it works. You can't murder people to get me to like you!" he said, "That's crazy."

That word seemed to trigger her. She smacked him against the temple with the gun, and although he was a little dizzy and he felt blood, he did not faint.

"I am not crazy!" She said and her fingernails dug into his skin.

"And Reina? Your friend? Was she supposed to die?" He asked harshly.

"No. She was doing so good as throwing you off my trail. Not that anyone figured it out…" She shrugged.

"You betrayed all your friends." He shook his head.

"I did it because I love you." She insisted, and he shook.

"This isn't love. This is you being a sociopath that I never knew about." He said.

"That's just a label, dear. You know me…" she said.

"Clearly not how I thought…" He said, and stared up at her, "I would rather die than ever kiss you again."

She frowned. "Fine. That can be arranged." She cocked the gun and put it as his head, and he just hoped he would reappear as a ghost to be with Bailey.

The shot went off, but it never hit him. His ears rung and for a second, all he had was his sight. Maya was on the floor, and the gun skid across the floor. She grabbed Gemma's leg and yanked, and the girl hit the floor with a sickening crunch, and lay still.

Maya recovered much quicker, as Zack tried to stumble to Cody's body, but she threw herself on his back, and his head hit the floor with a crack. He was really dizzy now.

"You are mine." She said, flipping him over, and making his head hit back against the floor, "And if you're not mine, you are nobodies. And I know how to kill a ghost, so trust me, you won't be back." She assured, and from the look in her eyes, he believed her. A shiver ran up his body. Was that what happened to Splinter? Oh, god.

His distracted mind and fuzzy thoughts couldn't prepare him or make him attack her back, before her hands were strong against his neck. The air was pressed out of him, and in a moment, he couldn't breath. He kicked and pressed with all his might, but he was already weak and loosing speed, and couldn't fight her off. She really was going to kill him twice, and Cody was going to die too. Both the Martin twins.

He could imagine his parents, probably upstairs right now, looking for their sons. And they would find them bloody and bruised in a room, both dead and gone. He didn't even think of Bailey in those moments. All he wished was that his parents would not have to see their bodies like this.

Another gunshot rang throughout the room, and for a moment, it seemed as if it was merely his imagination, or that it hadn't hit anything. But then Maya's left arm dropped, and blood soaked through her shirt and she screamed.

It was all Zack needed to slip into the pool, far away. Hazily, he looked to his brother, but he had moved. He was over by a door that he thought was a closet, and Cody was slumped against the wood. His head was bleeding still, and one eye was swollen shut. His left arm dangled uselessly in his lap, and his knee was bent at an odd angle. He gave a grin, and two teeth were missing, and his lips were bloody.

"Zack…I can see ghosts…" He whispered hoarsely, and breathed deeply, closing his eyes. Another shot was fired, and Maya's leg begun to bleed. Zack blinked twice to see the figure.

"Splinter!" He cried, thinking that he was just dreaming. Splinter picked dropped the gun into his pocket, and went to the edge of the water, and helped Zack from the pool.

"You didn't think I'd leave without saying goodbye, buddy?" He asked, smiling.

"But we…you…where…" Zack's questions spilled out like a waterfall, and Splinter frowned.

"I figured it out. It was her. But she killed me and stuffed me in that closet, so I couldn't interfere." He said.

"But…you're a ghost…you can walk through walls…" Zack said, frowning, "unless…."

"No, I'm dead. But Gemma's been blackmailed by Maya this entire time, and Maya said if Gemma didn't do whatever she said, Maya would kill Sophie. She put Gemma in front of the door with a gun." He said.

"But you're already dead, dude." He said. Splinter shrugged.

"I don't know what happens when ghosts get shot, and for most of the time I was knocked out cold anyway." He said, "Cody let me out during the fight." He said.

"God! Cody!" Zack pulled himself to his brother, and found him breath shallow, "Dude, stay with me!"

"Sophie was right. There are ghosts…" He said, and he looked about to cry.

"Shit…Bailey and I…" he murmured, "I wanted to tell you…I just…" He said, knowing that this was going to break everything between them. Cody patted his arm, using great effort.

"I'm…okay…with…it…" He ground out, "You…really…love…her." He said.

"But you did too." Zack hung his head guiltily.

"I'm…in…love…with…the…idea…of…her…" Cody said brokenly, and Zack hushed him, then her smirked, "And…the…sexual…tension…between…you two…this…year!"

"We need to get you to the doctors, right now." He said, "We'll have time to talk later."

He looked back at Maya, and sighed. Should he go and get someone to restrain her first, or help his brother. Splinter just picked the gun from his pocket, and raised it to her.

"I'll watch her." He said, "She won't move again, unless she wants to loose her hand this time." He said.

Zack nodded, and quickly checked on Gemma, who seemed to be just knocked out, and her bleeding wasn't much to be concerned about. He had only reached the top of the stairs, when Mosby and his parents came barreling down the hall.

"I heard gunshots!" He said, "Oh, dear."

The twins' mother burst into tears, coming to touch Cody's face. "Mom…I'm…not…dead…" He gave a weak chuckle. Mosby's eyes were wide.

"We found the killer." Zack said, "Or Cody would have been dead." He said.

"Well, who is he?" Mosby asked.

"She…it's my ex-girlfriend, Maya Bennet…" He motioned for Mosby to follow, "It all makes sense now…"

"And that's the end of it." Zack said at the podium, sighing. He looked at his brother, who was on his way to making a full recovery. He still walked with a limp and a crutch, but Reina (after having a near death experience too) was really helping. And he knew that those two were going to get together, anyway. Sophie gave him a smile from the front row, and his heart begun to flutter. He wasn't saying it was something, but Bailey winked at him as she noticed the interaction between the pair. Godrick sat, with a notebook, soaking everything in.

He felt as though everything has lifted off his chest, and Splinter came to stand next to him.

"If you would like, I will go through everything that Splinter figured out to prove that Maya's the killer…as if her confession in the room wasn't enough."

There was quiet murmuring, and the judge nodded. "Please."

Zack pulled out the list of paper, and gave a side glance to his best friend, who was there in case he needed more explanation on anything.

"Well, to begin with, Camden was murdered after he convinced Gemma to print the story about us. He was the one that convinced her to use the picture, and he was the one who took all the credit. Because it upset me, he had to die. He was murdered sloppily, but with Splinter's arrows, so that he would be a suspect. She didn't plan for us to realize that, or that we took care of it."

"Next to die was Gemma. That was partly a suicide. She had already written a note, and had planned to kill herself. Maya had been in the room with her when she was going to do it, but she became scared at the last moment and decided that she didn't want to, but Maya pulled a gun on her and forced her to swallow all the pills. Then she left without saying anything, putting the letter by her head. It seemed just like a suicide to anyone who had passed by. She knew Gemma had to be killed because she made mine and Splinter's life pretty miserable for a bit, but that was only because she had liked Camden, and he had suddenly stopped talking to her. She suspected we paid him off or something."

"After was Bailey. When we had thought it was me who had stupidly thought I'd closed the door, Maya had snuck in behind us, and she knew that we might have liked each other, and she became very territorial. She was gone on the day that she died, off on her birthday, but she had Gemma do the dirty work by hitting Bailey behind the head with a bat and shoving her face-first into the water. She instructed Gemma to write the message on her arm, because as we saw from the trophies, Maya had a thing for being first place. The game, these killings, were always a game to get me the prize, and she was going to win."

"Kennedy admitted that she had really begun this whole thing with kissing both Splinter and Camden, so she had to be killed, and Maya was aware of the bottle of wine. Maya wanted to be a graphic designer, and the label wasn't difficult to reproduce, so she just switched the bottles, but one had poison in it. Reina wasn't supposed to drink it, because Reina usually hates wine and was a good person to distract us from her, but she did."

"Godrick was supposed to die next, because he was getting close to figuring it out, but Gemma was sent to kill him in his sleep, but she couldn't go through with it. She did scare him enough to make him decide to stay away from us, which Maya seemed okay with, because she didn't kill Sophie and didn't go and kill Godrick."

"Splinter actually did figure it out. She watched him carefully, and finished what she started, and killed him too." Zack sucked in a hard breath, and resisted the urge to look at his friend. Splinter put his hand on Zack's shoulder and squeezed, and pointed at the clues.

"First, there was the perfume I smelled in Gemma's room. Cody had been going to give Bailey a perfume bottle a long time ago, but me the cheapo I am, stole it and gave it to Maya as a gift. She wore it occasionally, but not often, which is why I couldn't figure it out. When Godrick had only her name and three others on the list, he had to be kept quiet."

"Maya also borrowed Reina's shirt, and it caught on a piece of furniture in Gemma's room when she was exiting quickly, because she heard Sophie coming back. She had been careful not to wear her own shirts that day, just because she was paranoid."

"The rest, the motives, the wine, the assassin message…we went through that…but it was one last thing that Splinter really had to notice it all come together. Believe me or not, but Splinter told this to me."

The room had mixed reactions on his admission, but the judge motioned for him to continue, "He had heard Maya talking briefly about our fight, and she seemed not really upset over it, so he was going on Facebook to see if our status had changed. He only typed her name into the search bar, and although there are many Maya Bennets out there I'm sure, one stood out to him. It was an article about a little girl from Ohio who had killed their family's dog because it was giving her mother more attention than herself. It wasn't news worthy, except for the fact it had been slaughtered in the park. The little girl was nine, and her name was Maya Bennet. She'd been sent to a therapist, but from all the other reports, it was said that she had been cured of her mental illness, and that she was progressing as a normal girl, and that the Seven Seas High was a good opportunity for her, according to her parents. And she was a normal girl, if we all remember her…until she met me, and that same possession came into the equation."

The jury was silent, and Maya sat glaring at him from behind where she was restrained. He was excused from the stand, and Splinter went to sit at the end of the aisle where the rest of the ghosts, Camden, Kennedy, Bailey, and Gemma, all sat. Zack slipped back into his seat by Sophie, and she put her hand on top of his. It wasn't in a romantic way, but it was in a comforting way.

Four hours later, Maya was declared guilty, and slapped with a prison sentence for life, no parole.

Outside the courthouse, the group of living teens avoided the press and the newspapers that were clamoring to get interviews, as stuff like this was of course a national deal. Zack managed to slip away from the commotion, and met Bailey behind the building. She hugged him, and gave him a little kiss.

It had already been nearly seven months, much longer than either had agreed to continue seeing each other. Zack was going to settle down in Colorado with Sophie as a flat mate for a bit, and go to the local college there. Sophie had gotten a job at a little store, and it was away from the hustle and bustle of questions and people asking things.

"We're gong to New York soon…" She said, playing with her dress.

"Hmm. I thought you would all burst into balls of light and move on when Maya was said to be guilty." Zack admitted honestly, and Bailey punched him.

"Too bad for you, we're here to stay." She said, and Zack gave a happy laugh, an honest to god happy laugh.

"Poor us." He shook his head, "Hey…will you at least…write?"

"From where? On what?" She asked, and he thrust an address into her hands.

"You're smart. You can figure it out," He paused, "Pleeeaaaseee…" He begged.

"We'll see, Z." She said, and pulled him in for one last kiss, "See you soon." She said, and he knew she would write from her words. She walked to the end of the block.

"Already miss you!" He called after her, and she turned around and shook her head. Then, she went through a building, and he couldn't see her anymore.

"Hey." Sophie said, "You got out of there quick. How the heck did you do that?" She asked, panting.

"Skills. Mad skills." He said, and turned himself away, "Gemma will be leaving soon, right. With Ghosts and Co.?" He questioned. Sophie nodded.

"Yeah. She'll have fun in New York. She always wanted to go there, you know, when she was alive."

"And now she gets to party there immortally eighteen?" Zack said, grinning, "Sounds great to me."

"Hey!" Splinter called him from his side, and they embraced in a brotherly hug, "You did it, Zack." He congratulated.

"We would have never figured it out without you." Zack said, "Credit where credit is due, Jonas." Splinter frowned, making a face like a lemon.

"Ew. Don't call me that." He said, "My name is Splinter."

"I like Jonas." Sophie said, a gleam in her eyes, "But Splinter is more mysterious." She admitted.

"Hey, that's me." He pointed out, and then came and hugged her. His long body tightened around her tiny frame, and she only came up to his chest. She whispered something in her ear, and she blushed. He hugged Zack one last time and promised to visit with updates at their snazzy new house (it really wasn't, Zack tried to say, but Splinter refused to listen).

"What did he say?" Zack asked when they were out of sight.

"He told me his sweatshirt looks sexy on me, but I'd better not wear it when I'm trying to be sexy with you." Zack flapped his mouth like a fish.

"But we're not even…but we…"

'It's going to happen' Camden wrote on his board, pushing in front of their faces. His fingers interlocked with Kennedy's and they shared a smile at each other. Reina rolled her eyes, and the pair looked at each other.

"I am never drinking wine again." Reina joked, "You said it's good. Try it once, you said." She quoted Kennedy. Kennedy batted her hand away.

"Oh, please. So it was a little bad. Some wines are better." She said.

"I would really hope so!" Reina said, and Kennedy shrugged.

"That wine that killed me was only the third worst I've ever had." She said, ever Kennedy. Godrick came up and threw his arms around Zack and Sophie.

"Hey you lovebirds."

"We're not…" Sophie began but shook her head, "Never mind."

"Seven Seas just won't be the same anymore." Godrick frowned, "I'll miss you four." Then he looked at Camden and Kennedy, the ghosts that sill remained, "I mean six, erm ten…you know what I mean."

"We should probably get going, everyone else is waiting." Kennedy said, nodding to where the other three were at the bottom of the hill. The pair hugged the remaining friends, and then left.

"It's all over." Cody sighed, and he linked hands with Reina. Reina linked hands with Sophie, and soon the five were holding hands on the top of the hill, as the sun set slowly.

"We survived a crazy murderer…I think we can survive college now, or the real world." Reina laughed, "And they said high school was easy."

"Maybe we should all go into the CIA or become detectives or something." Sophie laughed, and everyone agreed with her, half-joking, except Godrick. He groaned.

"You all will be off having magical adventures, and I'll be stuck still taking tests and classes. I think nearly being murdered and figuring out the mystery should get me A's across the board for the rest of my high school career." He said, smirking.

"It doesn't work like that," Zack sighed, "I would know." He ruffled Godrick's hair.

"I know. I already tried telling some teachers that. They wouldn't listen." He pouted.

"So…." Cody coughed, and pulled out a little sheet that had long been disused, "Tag. You're dead." He poked Godrick, and showed him his sheet. The group all took turns hitting Cody.

"Not even funny." Zack chuckled, even though everyone was letting off a little steam by laughing.

"I'm the only one left. This means I win right?" Cody prompted, smiling with glee.

"Right." Reina said, and pulled him in by the tie to kiss him, "And here's your prize."

And Cody let the paper fall from his hand, and Zack picked it up. He felt a little bad that they had all ruined this game for literally every other year from here on out, but this game was so far past just a game, it was scary.

He thought about how he had been do determined to make Bailey his slave- just to bring him soda and do his homework- for an entire day, way back at the beginning. Maybe he sort of loved her then. Maybe he didn't.

A hand on his arm brought him back to reality. He turned to see Sophie, who was looking at the paper too.

"Things taken too literally." She commented with a little frown, "I doubt anyone else has ever had this problem before." She grumbled.

"What? No mass suicide during capture the flag?" he asked.

"Why the heck would people commit suicide during Capture the Flag?" Reina asked, giving him a roll of her eyes.

"Because stranger things have happened. Just ask Splinter, or Bailey. The fact they're still around defies everything we ever knew." He said, "So…this is what I've deduced from it. School is useless, and real life will blow your mind." He said, "Right?"

"Zack will always find a way to get out of school," Cody rolled his eyes. Zack gave a shrug.

"Well, you know me." Zack gave one of his grins, "Insufferable, lazy, and a small criminal mastermind…ah, if only Maya had been really good at pulling off small scale crimes, like shrimp in the hot-tub or saran wrapping Mosby's office." He mused, "But no! She had to be a murderer."

"This tells us so much about what kind of girls you attract." Godrick said, "Sophie- run while you can."

He felt her arm intertwine with his, and she stuck her tongue out.

"I think I'll take my chances."


End file.
